True Love
by PugNTurtle
Summary: Lilian and Batista... what true love means to them. [I don't feel like writing now... on hiatus as of the events of 62607... R.I.P. Chris, Nancy, and Daniel]
1. As the Sun Rises 1

Title: True Love

Part: As the Sun Rises 1.1

Author: Katie

E-mail: PG to R, R parts will be labeled in heading

Disclaimer: All characters and their respective counterparts are trademarked by  
World Wrestling Entertainment. No harm is meant.

Pairing: Lilian/Batista

Spoilers: None

Distribution: Ask me first please.

Summary: Dave and Lilian spend some quality time together in the mountains.

Notes: This is Part 1, Chapter 1 of the True Love Series. I'm not sure wherethis is going, so bear with me. My intention, though, is for this to be a six or  
seven part series. As usual, feedback is appreciated but not begged for. It's  
not in my character.

* * *

Lilian Garcia sighed as she watched the sun rising over the mountains, enjoying the peaceful aurora of the mountains. She drew her knees up to her chest, taking a deep breath of the clean atmosphere as she wrapped her arms around her legs, simply staring as a bird chirped happily away.

The last few days had been incredible. How both she and her boyfriend Dave Batista had managed to have the same week off Lilian had no clue, though she had a feeling Ric Flair had something to do with it. Not that she was going to complain or anything. Lilian smiled to herself as she thought about some of the things she and Dave had experienced so far. One of her favorite moments was definitely taking a long hike to a clearing full of wildflowers for a picnic of sandwiches and macaroni salad. While that was incredible in itself, Dave and Lilian were both pleasantly surprised when a doe and her buck wandered into the clearing to take a drink from the clear river that ran through the field. Lilian wasn't sure how long they had sat there, simply watching.

Lilian also enjoyed the less adventurous moments, such as sitting by the campfire and talking while eating smores. She nearly snickered when she thought about Dave trying to start a fire the first night.

She heard rustling behind her, a small smile coming to her lips when she heard Dave sighing, shaking off the last bit of sleep. Lilian listened as he stepped out of their tent, stretching and yawning loudly before walking over to where the blonde sat.

"Hey, you," Dave murmured, settling down behind Lilian, pulling the little blonde close to his bare chest as he watched the sun rising over her shoulder.

"Morning, sweetie," Lilian replied, leaning her head back to kiss Dave on the cheek. "How'd you sleep?"

"Fine until I realized you were gone," Dave answered, wrapping his arms around her waist and rubbing his nose against hers. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just wanted to watch the sunrise," Lilian explained. "You looked so relaxed I couldn't bear to wake you. Plus, I know how much you love to wake up early."

Dave nodded, letting her know he understood, easily moving Lilian further up his lap. She snuggled against his chest, shifting so she could wrap her arms around his waist. Together they watched the sun slowly rise over the mountain tops. Lilian sighed with happiness, smiling at her boyfriend of two years.

"You know, Dave, when you said you wanted to take me camping, I was doubtful. I've never really been an outdoorsy person. But these past few days have been nothing short of magical. I just wanted to thank you," Lilian told him, kissing him again.

"We've still got four days, baby," Dave pointed out.

"If they're anything like the last three, I'm going to be in heaven," Liliansaid.

"Well, you're in luck, sugar," Dave told her. "I've got a special surprise for you today."

"Ooh, what is it?" Lilian asked, excited.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise," Dave chastised, nudging her playfully.

Lilian moved quickly, catching Dave by surprise as she tackled him, pinning him to the ground with her knees on either side of his hips. She leaned forward, smiling sexily at him. "Are you sure you don't want to tell me?" she asked, placing her hands on his arms, knowing that Dave could easily muscle his way out of her hold.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, Lilian blinked, and she was on her back, Dave grinning down at her. "I'm sure I don't want to tell you, but I'm also sure that you'll love it," Dave replied, leaning down to kiss her gently. He ran his hands through her hair, feeling heat wash over his body as Lilian placed her hands on his hips to pull him closer to her. "I could make love to you right now," Dave growled, shifting his weight.

"Not out here," Lilian murmured, giggling as Dave swept her into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I don't wanna get your shirt dirty."

"You look good in my shirt, by the way," he commented, admiring her bare legs where the material of the Evolution shirt fell at her thighs.

Lilian slapped his shoulder gently, playfully scolding him as she exclaimed, "My legs aren't in the shirt!"

"I know, sugar, but you're still sexy," Dave replied, carrying her into their large tent, setting Lilian down on her feet. He barely had a chance to close the flap and turn around before she launched herself at his body, wrapping her arms around his neck and legs around his hips simultaneously, kissing him hard. Dave wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

Dave tugged at her shirt, and Lilian grinned mischievously. "Try not to rip this one," she told him, referring to the night before when Dave had accidentally ripped her nightshirt in his desire to make love. Lilian pulled him closer, kissing his forehead.

"You have no clue how glad I am we are in the middle of nowhere, all alone," Dave told her, gently laying her on their sleeping bags and pulling her shirt off gently.

Lilian couldn't help but agree.

* * *

End Part 1.1 


	2. As the Sun Rises 2

Part: As the Sun Rises 1.2

* * *

"You know, sugar, if you want your special surprise sometime today you're going to have to get off me eventually," Dave murmured awhile later. 

"Well, sweetie, if I'm going to get off you, you have to let go of me first," Lilian pointed out, nuzzling her chin against his the hollow of his throat.

"Oh, okay," Dave playfully pouted. "You win." He squeezed Lilian's waist gently before releasing his grip on her.

Lilian moved off of Dave, moving towards her bag. "What should I wear?" she asked.

"Wear your bikini under some hiking clothes," Dave told her, sitting up as well.

"So, where are we going?" Lilian pressed a few minutes later, smiling innocently when Dave rolled his eyes at her questioning.

"I told you, Lil, it's a surprise."

"Oh, all right."

"How much longer, sweetie?" Lilian panted slightly.

"Not too much," Dave told her, turning around, concerned. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just wishing I worked out with you more often," Lilian replied, wiping a stray piece of hair out of her eyes.

"You want me to carry you?" Dave asked, only partly joking.

Lilian flashed him a quick smile, and said, "Nah."

Ten minutes later, Lilian and Dave arrived at their destination. "Well, what do you think? Isn't it beautiful?" Dave asked, setting his bags down.

"Oh, Dave, it's stunning," Lilian breathed, taking in the sight before her. They were standing on a cliff near a waterfall that fell into a gentle river about twenty feet below, the water clear and crystal. As if that sight wasn't enough, the sun was shining brightly, making the water look like it was sparkling. "How did you find this place?"

"I was a real adventurous kid and I wandered off a few times when we went camping," Dave shrugged. "Sometimes I come here to swim, sometimes I pack a picnic lunch, and sometimes I just sit here and think."

"Who else knows about this?"

"Just me," Dave replied. "I wanted to keep it to myself, but I feel there's a special person in my life who I wanted to share it with."

"Who would that be?" Lilian nudged him with her elbow, and Dave grinned, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close to him.

"You, sugar," he answered, kissing her gently.

Once they broke apart, Lilian glanced down suspiciously. "How do you get down there to swim?"

"Well, there's two ways. The boring way is to go down the little hill over there," Dave gestured to a narrow path about ten feet away.

"What's the non-boring way?" Lilian asked warily.

"This." With that, Dave stripped his t-shirt off and kicked off his sandals and dove into the water.

Lilian watched anxiously as Dave swam upward and broke the surface. "Come on and join me," Dave called, wiping water out of his eyes.

"I don't know, Dave. I'm kinda scared," Lilian admitted, slipping off her shirt slowly, followed by her shorts and shoes. She tossed them in a pile next to his shirt.

"Aw, come on, sugar. You'll love it," Dave called, treading water. Seeing the doubtful look on Lilian's face, he challenged, "What, are you chickening out on me?"

"Oh, you're going to pay for that one." Dave knew she hated being called chicken, and he had called her on it, knowing she would take the bait. With a deep breath, Lilian closed her eyes and leaped off the cliff into the water, seconds later hitting water. She kicked upward and broke the surface, laughing as Dave swam toward her, encircling his arms around her waist. Lilian wrapped her arms around his neck. "That was fun," she told Dave, kissing him on the nose.

"I thought you'd like it, Ms. Dare Devil," Dave replied. They treaded water together for several minutes before Lilian spoke up.

"So, how often have you been coming to these mountains?"

"Since I was a kid. As far back as I can remember," Dave replied. "My dad would bring me here every summer.

"I'm sorry," Lilian said quietly when she heard the sad twinge in his voice at the mention of his deceased father.

With a sigh, Dave buried his face into the crook of her throat. "It's all right, sugar," he murmured.

"At least you have a good relationship with your mother now," Lilian pointed out.

Dave nodded, feeling slightly guilty when he realized how lucky he was to at least have one of his parents. Lilian had told him the, long, painful story about how her parents had pretty much disowned her when she joined the WWE. He knew she put up a strong front but hurt everyday because of her parents' ignorance at her choice of career.

Seeing Dave look somewhat guilty, Lilian quickly added, "Your mom is wonderful, Dave. She's like a mother to me."

"Yeah, she is pretty terrific," Dave said distantly. Glancing at Lilian, he smiled weakly. "Let's end this awkward conversation, okay, baby?"

"Yeah, let's have some fun for now." Lilian wiggled out of his grasp, pushing down on his shoulders. She caught Dave off guard, dunking him in the warm water.

Dave came up, sputtering. He got his bearings, glaring playfully at Lilian. "Ooh, you're going to pay for that," he warned, leaping after her.

Lilian swam quickly away, holding a good lead, but Dave's strength was enough to catch up to her easily. He lifted her over his shoulder, threatening to dunk her in the water. "Okay, okay, truce," Lilian giggled.

"You're lucky I'm a gentleman," Dave told her, gently settling her back in the water. He waited until she thought she was safe before dunking her in the water.

"Ooh, David, that was far from gentlemanly!" she grumbled when she came back up, shaking her wet hair out of her face, taking off after him. "I'm going to strangle you!"

Hours later, Dave and Lilian were laying side by side, watching the quiet water fall in the river. Lilian turned her head towards Dave, smiling. "Can you believe we've been going out for almost two years?"

"Yeah, this Saturday it'll have been two years," Dave answered casually.

"It's been a wonderful two years," Lilian remarked.

"Fantastic."

Lilian nodded in agreement, missing the sly smile on Dave's face. Little did she know he had another big surprise for her.

* * *

End Part 1.2 


	3. As the Sun Rises 3

Part: As the Sun Rises 1.3

* * *

Lilian sighed as she heard the trunk of Dave's GMC Envoy slam shut, wiggling her hands into the sleeves of Dave's sweatshirt, crossing her arms over her chest as she shivered slightly. She hated getting up early, and she hated the cold weather that had decided to strike on their last morning in the mountains. Still, Lilian understood that Dave wanted to get moving early; after all, Summer Slam was that night, and Dave was facing Shelton Benjamin, one of the most hyped  
matches on the card, and she was scheduled to do quite a few interviews. She also knew that before they were even off the mountain, she would probably be fast asleep. She heard him moving, not surprised when a few seconds later he appeared behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"It's chilly," Lilian murmured, laying the back of her head against Dave's chest.

"It's still beautiful," Dave pointed out, gesturing to the sun rising.

"I don't want to leave. I want to stay here forever," Lilian told him. "Do you think anyone would notice if we didn't show up?"

"I'm kinda hard not to miss, baby," Dave chuckled, kissing her cheek.

"Tell me about it," Lilian laughed. They stood in silence and with another sigh, Lilian asked, "Well, are you ready?"

"Not exactly," Dave replied as he sighed, closing his eyes for a brief moment.

Lilian turned around, slightly confused, asking, "What's wrong?"

"Lilian, the whole reason I wanted you to come up here with me was so that I could show you how much I love you," Dave told her, placing his hands on her arms.

"I'm glad you brought me up here," Lilian replied, still confused. "I know you love me, and I hope you know that I love you too."

"I think that this weekend was a major realization to me," Dave murmured, pausing for a long moment, trying to get his words right.

"Why's that?" Lilian prompted gently.

"I love you, Lilian, and I want you to spend the rest of your life with me," Dave said softly, reaching into his pocket.

"Dave, are you saying what I think you're saying?" Lilian asked nervously.

Dave pulled out a worn velvet box, stroking a thumb over the material before looking at Lilian. He knelt on one knee and said, "Lilian, this is the ring my grandfather gave my grandmother, who in turn gave it to my father to give to my mother. Before he died, my dad told me he wanted the one woman I love to have this ring. Lilian, I've found her. Will you marry me?"

Lilian sniffled, wiping her eyes. She covered her mouth with her hand, holding out her left hand for him. "Yes, I will."

Dave smiled, sliding the ring on her finger. Despite its age, the gold ring and its three diamonds sparkled in the sunlight. "It's beautiful," Lilian whispered. "It's perfect."

Dave stood up, pulling Lilian against his chest. They hugged for a long time, simply holding each other.

"Now I really don't want to leave this mountain," Lilian giggled, pulling away from Dave to look at the ring once again.

"Look at it this way, sugar. The sooner we leave the sooner we can celebrate," Dave suggested, waggling his eyebrows at her.

"Didn't we have enough sex this week?" Lilian asked, slapping his shoulder playfully.

"One can never have too much sex, especially with an irresistible woman like you," Dave declared, glancing at Lilian, his desire to make love stronger than it had ever been. "Okay, we need to stop talking about sex right now."

"Why wait? There's always your truck," Lilian pointed out.

"Oh, no you don't! The last time we had sex in a car I ended up with a concussion, you broke your foot, and the poor boy scout leader looking for directions nearly had a heart attack!" Dave replied, sweeping her easily in his arms.

Lilian laughed, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing him gently.  
"I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

End 1.3 

Next Part: Wedding Plans


	4. Wedding Plans 1

Part: Wedding Plans 2.1

* * *

A refreshed Dave and Lilian walked into the arena, their hands entwined. Dave carried their bags over his left shoulder, his right fingers gently stroking the ring he had given her about twelve hours before. 

Lilian glanced at Dave noticing how handsome he looked in his white pants and blue shirt. He blended so well with Lilian, who was wearing a blue sundress with white hibiscus flowers splashed over it, a white flower holding her bangs back. They both wore sunglasses to ward off the bright sunshine.

"Good evening," the security guard at the entrance to the locker rooms greeted them, smiling. "May I have your ID's?" Resisting the urge to roll their eyes, Dave and Lilian handed over their ID's. They went through this daily with the same security guard, and the guard insisted on checking their ID's every time they came to the arena. A few seconds later, the heavyset man handed them back with another smile. "Have a good day, Mr. Batista, Ms. Garcia."

"Thanks," Lilian said politely. She glanced at Dave, thinking once again about how much she enjoyed the idea of being Mr. and Mrs. Dave Batista.

"What?" Dave asked, seeing the smile playing on her lips.

"Nothing. Just thinking how much I love you," Lilian said sheepishly, grinning when Dave blushed.

A few minutes later, Dave and Lilian entered the locker room they shared with Hunter, Ric Flair, and Randy Orton. This time, though, Hunter's wife, Stephanie McMahon was in the room as well. "Hey, man, how was the trip?" Hunter said, standing up to shake Batista's hand in greeting. "Lil," he acknowledged the ring announcer, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. "You guys have fun?"

"We had a great time," Dave replied, smiling lovingly at Lilian.

"Fantastic," Lilian agreed.

"Okay, call it women's intuition but something is definitely going on with you two," Stephanie commented, raising an eyebrow. Lilian blushed slightly; Stephanie could read her friend too well at times.

"Yeah, I agree," Randy said. "But it's not women's intuition with me!" he added hastily when he saw the strange looks the others were giving him.

Ric rolled his eyes, and added, "Spill it, you two lovebirds."

Dave glanced at Lilian, smiling at her to let her know he wanted her to tell them. Lilian cleared her throat softly, then said, "This week was incredible, in more ways than one. This morning, Dave asked me to marry him."

"All right, man!" Randy cheered, standing up to shake Dave's hand and kiss Lilian. Ric followed suit, gently punching Dave in the arm and hugging Lilian.

"Congratulations!" Stephanie squealed, grabbing Lilian's hand so she could look at the ring. "It's beautiful, Dave!" she gushed, examining the sparkling ring.

"It was my mother's and my grandmother's. I wanted to give it to someone I love," Dave explained, squeezing Lilian's hand gently.

"That's so sweet, man," Hunter said, grinning. "And I'm not being sarcastic either."

"When are you guys getting married?" Stephanie asked, sitting down again, gesturing for Lilian and Dave to sit down on the long couch with her and Hunter.

"We haven't discussed that yet," Lilian replied, exchanging a glance with Dave, smiling. She knew Stephanie would be ecstatic and ready to make plans. She wouldn't be surprised if the youngest McMahon were to offer her services right then and there.

"Well, anyway I can help, just let me know," Stephanie said. "I love weddings!"

Lilian shook her head, chuckling softly about her friend's predictability. "I'm just so happy right now I can't even think," Lilian commented.

"That's how we felt also," Hunter told her. "It'll pass, though. Pretty soon you'll be walking down the aisle."

"Yeah," Ric agreed.

Lilian and Dave nodded, glad to have a good group of friends.

* * *

Lilian cursed, resisting the urge to giggle as she hurried down the hall to where she was supposed to interview Trish, Christian, and Tyson Tomko. She had been at the arena for over two hours and somehow, she was going to be late for her interview.

Lilian skidded to a stop in front of the three. "Cutting it close as usual, eh, Lil?" Trish asked with a grin, quickly changing her fun attitude into the character of bitchy heel Trish.

Lilian brought the microphone up to her lips with her left hand, speaking when the director nodded to her. "Tonight, at Summer Slam, Trish, you, Tyson Tomko, and Christian take on the team of Matt Hardy, Chris Jericho, and Lita. What are your thoughts on that?"

Lilian waited for Trish to respond, only to notice the blonde had a funny look on her face. Lilian followed her gaze to see Trish was staring at the ring on her left finger. Trish caught herself quickly and said in a snobby tone, "You know, Lilian, there are three people in this company I can't stand. Four, if I count you. Tonight, we will take care of the Three Stooges once and for all.  
Tell 'em, baby," she said to Christian, trying to keep her eyes off Lilian's hand.

A minute later, the interview was over. The camera turned off and Trish turned to Lilian, a curious look on her face. "What's that?" she asked Lilian, gesturing to the blonde's ring.

"I wanted to go to your locker room to tell you before the interview, but you weren't there. That's why I was almost late," Lilian explained. She smiled as she continued, "Dave proposed to me this morning. We're getting married!"

Trish let out a small squeal, pulling Lilian to her in a hug. "You go girl! Congratulations! Oh, my God! When are you getting married? Where? Who are your bridesmaids? Oh, can I help with anything?"

"Slow down, Trish," Lilian said with a giggle, accepting a hug from both Christian and Tyson. "I don't know when, where, who, and I'll let you know if you can help with anything."

"Oh, it's going to be so much fun!" Trish giggled.

Lilian chuckled to herself. Between Trish, Steph, and probably Lita as well, this wedding was going to be a piece of cake to plan.

* * *

End 2.1 


	5. Wedding Plans 2

Part: Wedding Plans 2.2

* * *

Lilian sighed, staring at the phone in her hand. While everyone in the company was happy she and Dave were getting married, there was someone, or a couple people, who she knew weren't going to be happy. Now was probably the ideal time to call, since Dave's match was going on and she was alone in Evolution's private locker room.

She pressed the send button before she lost her nerve, waiting for the person to pick up. A few seconds later, he answered.

"Andrew Garcia."

"Hi, Dad."

"Lilian." His voice was less than filled with enthusiasm, but Lilian continued nonetheless, not realizing someone was standing in the doorway.

"How are you?"

"Fine. You?"

"I'm great."

"Good."

"How's Mom?"

"She's fine."

Lilian sighed, frustrated at her father's small talk, and said, "Look, Dad, I didn't call to chat. I called to tell you I'm getting married."

"Oh."

Lilian opened her mouth for a second, surprised at his lack of emotion. "Don't you even want to know who I'm marrying?"

"Who are you marrying?"

"A wrestler. His name is Dave Batista. We've been dating for two years now. He proposed to me this morning." Lilian paused, nervously waiting for her father to speak. "Would you say something, Dad?" she finally asked, exasperated.

"What, do you want my approval?" he asked, somewhat incredulous.

"No," Lilian spat. "I don't need your approval. I never have."

"Yeah, I know that. You walked out on this family five years ago to join some stupid little wrestling federation. You couldn't just follow your music career, no, you had to throw your life away over some ring announcing job."

"I did not throw my life away, Dad. In fact, I turned it around! Do you even know that I signed a record deal?"

"When?"

"Almost two years ago, Dad. Right around when Dave and I started dating."

"Why didn't you ever tell us?"

"Did you call me, Dad? Did you ever try to contact me? Hell, I sang in the Macy's parade three years ago! Did you even think to give me a call?"

"Well-"

"No, you didn't!" Lilian paused, taking a deep breath to control her anger. "Look, I just wanted to share my happy news with you. Not that you care. As far as you're concerned, I'm a screw up."

"I never said that, Lilian," he father protested.

"No. Just the fact you disowned me when I joined the Federation says a lot."

"Now listen to me, little girl!"

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Dad. If you want to shun me because of my career feel free. But believe me, if I don't see you at my wedding I can guarantee you I won't have anything to do with you or the rest of the family ever again!"

Lilian paused to take a breath, and her father cut in, "You know what, Lilian? If you're going to throw away your life by marrying some jacked up, steroid using, piece of trash wrestler than go ahead! Be my guest, because you won't be welcomed in this family anymore!"

Her father slammed the phone in her ear, and Lilian glared at her cell phone for a second before flipping it shut, resisting the urge to throw the phone across the room. With almost a growl, she dropped the phone beside her, angrily brushing tears from her eyes.

"Family problems?"

Lilian jumped as she turned to the door, seeing Ric leaning against the frame. "Yeah, something like that," Lilian mumbled, covering her face with her hands.

"Yeah, family can be something of a pain sometimes," Ric said awkwardly.

"Yeah," Lilian muttered, moving her hands from her face. "I swear the only family I have is in this company."

Ric walked into the locker room, settling down on the couch cautiously. "Well, I know it's probably not what you want to hear, Lilian, but we're glad you're part of our family," he said softly.

"Thanks," Lilian replied after a long moment. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

"No problem, kid," Ric said affectionately, patting her on the back.

"Wait, what are you doing back here?" Lilian asked, realizing he was supposed to be out there with Dave.

"Oh, Vince thought it would be fun if I were to get kicked from ringside," Ric said casually.

"Sounds like tons of fun," Lilian said dryly.

"Yeah, you get used to it."

There was another pause, and Lilian glanced at her watch. "Look, Ric, I need to get going. I'm supposed to interview La Resistance in ten minutes. Thanks for the support," she said.

"No problem, Lil. Take care. We're thinking of going out to celebrate after the show. You'll be with us, right?"

"Of course," Lilian replied. "See you later." She started to walk out the door, but instead stopped at the frame, turning around. "Ric?" she asked hesitantly.

"What's up, Lil?" the older man replied.

"I haven't had a chance to ask Dave about this, but I'm sure he won't mind… But… um, if you don't mind… since my father wants nothing to do with me, would you mind walking me down the aisle?" Lilian asked shyly, ducking her head.

Ric was taken aback at her request, but a smile quickly covered his surprise. "Lilian, I would be honored to walk you down the aisle," Ric replied.

Lilian grinned, a true smile gracing her features. She walked quickly over to Ric, hugging him tightly and kissing him on the cheek. "Thank you," she told him sincerely. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

"I'd do anything for you, Lil," Ric said, kissing the top of her head. "Now scram. You have an interview to conduct."

Lilian smiled, walking out of the room as Ric watched her, smiling.

This was going to be some wedding.

* * *

End Part 2.2 


	6. Wedding Plans 3

Part: Wedding Plans 2.3

* * *

Lilian coughed, leaning her head against the open toilet seat. She closed her eyes, trying to control the nausea in her stomach. It didn't work, and she leaned forward, vomiting into the toilet again. 

"Honey, are you okay?" She nearly groaned at his voice, the last thing she had wanted to do was wake him.

Lilian whimpered softly as Dave entered the bathroom, concerned. He knelt down next to her crouched position, pulling her long blonde hair out of her face. He rubbed her back gently, and asked again, "Are you okay?"

"I think so," Lilian murmured miserably, all thoughts of not wanting to bother him leaving as she pressed her head against Dave's chest, closing her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"I think… I think I just have a bug or food poisoning," Lilian replied weakly, allowing Dave to help her up. He guided her to the sink, filling a glass with cold water. Lilian took a small sip, closing her eyes as the cool water soothed her burning throat.

"You okay now, Sugar?" Dave asked softly, guiding her to the bed and helping her to lay down against the soft pillows.

"I think so," Lilian replied sleepily, allowing Dave to pull the covers over her. "I'm sorry for waking you."

"It's alright, baby," Dave answered with a chuckle. "I'm more worried about you. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Lilian forced her eyes open and yawned, relieved that her nausea seemed to have settled for the most part. "Hey sweetie," she said to Dave, who was sitting cross legged on the floor, leaning against the bed, concentrating on typing something in his laptop.

"Hey, Sugar," Dave said with a smile when he heard her voice, taking in her tired appearance. She looked worn out, but she had a little of her color back in her face. "You look a lot better. You need anything to drink? Eat?" he asked, standing up.

"I'd like a little water if you don't mind," Lilian replied.

"Light on the ice?"

"Please."

She watched as Dave filled the glass for her and smiled weakly at him as he sat next to her, handing her the glass and settling on the bed next to her. "You sure you feel better?" he fretted, running the back of his hand across her forehead. "No fever," he concluded, crossing his arms and glancing at his fiancé.

Lilian took a deep breath, setting the glass on the table next to the bed. She took Dave's hand in hers. "Dave, I… uh…"

"What's wrong, Sugar?" Dave asked, alarmed at her nervous tone.

Lilian sighed, then whispered, "Dave, I'm late."

Dave looked at her, confused, then asked, "For what? I didn't think we had anything today except for the show."

Lilian nearly laughed, instead choosing to swat him gently on the shoulder. "I missed my period,  
David," she said with a chuckle.

"You… you're pregnant?" Dave stammered nervously, his eyes widening.

"I don't know for sure, but it makes sense. I missed my period before we went on vacation. I've been feeling sick for the past week or so. Today's the first time I actually threw up," Lilian confessed.

Dave exhaled slowly, then asked, "How can we be sure?"

"I need to take a pregnancy test, sweetie," Lilian replied.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Dave grabbed her hand, allowing Lilian to get dressed before leading her to a convenience store next to the hotel. They picked out a pregnancy test and Dave paid for it quickly before leading her back to the hotel, trying to be mindful of her state yet wanting to know if he was going to be a father as quickly as possible.

Lilian walked into the bathroom, Dave close at her heels. "Uh-uh," she said gently, placing a hand on his chest to stop his progress. "This is where you stop."

"Aw, Lily," he whined slightly, trying to follow her again.

"No, babe," Lilian said, putting a hand on his massive chest. "Seriously, sweetie, relax. I'll be two minutes at the most."

Dave nodded, stepping back to allow Lilian to enter the bathroom. He paced around the room like a wild animal and a couple minutes later Lilian slowly opened the door. Dave walked up to her, resting his hands on her elbows. Her fist was tightened around the pregnancy test so Dave couldn't see the results.

"Well?" he asked hoarsely, his eyes searching hers for an answer.

Lilian brought her fist up, slowly uncurling her long fingers. Dave stared at the small stick for a moment, then took it shakily from her hand, cupping the object in his large hand.

Dave brought his tear filled eyes up to hers, his smile wavering. Finally, he whispered the two words he wanted to hear.

"You're pregnant."

Lilian nodded, her eyes filling with tears as well. Dave wrapped his arms around her, pulling Lilian close to him and kissing her gently on the lips.

"I'm going to be a daddy," Dave murmured in shock, unconsciously placing a hand against her flat stomach. "Little David."

"Who said it's a boy?" Lilian giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "What about Lil' Lily?"

"You're so silly," Dave laughed, pressing a kiss against her forehead.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

"And Baby?"

"I love Baby too."

* * *

End 2.3 


	7. Wedding Plans 4

Dave sighed softly, dropping the bags he was carrying by the door of their hotel room. He followed Lilian into the bathroom, kneeling behind her as she gagged into the toilet. He held her hair back, rubbing her back softly as she finished throwing up.

"I'm sorry," Lilian murmured tearfully, leaning her head against the toilet. "Whoever named this morning sickness is a dumb ass cause I get sick in the afternoon too."

"There's nothing to be sorry about, baby," Dave replied, wetting a washcloth and holding it to her forehead. "It's normal to get sick during your first couple months of pregnancy."

"God, how long is this going to last?" Lilian asked, taking a deep breath in an attempt to control her still upset stomach as Dave helped her to stand, leading her carefully to the sink so she could rinse out her mouth.

"Well, according to the Internet, usually the first three to four months of your pregnancy," Dave replied, causing Lilian to pause as she lifted the plastic cup to her lips. Lilian looked at him, confused, and he replied, "What? I was worried about you and decided to do some research."

Lilian shook her head, chuckling. "Dave, remind me again why I am so lucky to have you."

Dave kissed her forehead, hugging her lightly. "Because I love you," he simply said. "Now come on. We need to get going if we're going to make it to the pre Raw meeting on time."

* * *

Lilian scratched the back of her head, watching her friends as they grabbed something to eat before the weekly meeting. Hunter and Stephanie sat in a corner, talking quietly while they shared a huge plate of fruit. Randy was flirting with two of the girls from the catering company, who seemed to be enjoying every moment of it. Ric was reading the newspaper, engrossed in an article about the stock market. Trish and Lita were giggling loudly in the corner, obviously telling jokes.

Dave sat down behind her and placed a hand on Lilian's shoulder, rubbing it gently to calm her. "You need anything to eat or drink, baby?" Dave asked softly, not wanting to draw attention to themselves.

"No, I think I'm okay," Lilian replied, placing a hand on her still flat stomach.

"Feeling sick again?" Dave asked sympathetically.

"A little," Lilian admitted. "I think I'll be okay, though. I have some water and crackers."

Dave went to reply, only to bristle when Jonathon Coachman sauntered up to the pair, stopping when he saw what she had in front of her. "What, are you going on a diet, Lilian?" he asked, smirking down at the little blonde when he saw the saltines and water in front of her. "You could gain a few pounds, if you ask me."

"Well, no one asked you, Coach," Hunter said, standing up before Dave could, walking over to where Lilian and Dave were sitting, his wife and Evolution partners following. "Do yourself a favor and get the hell out of here."

Coach scoffed, raising an eyebrow at Hunter. "And I should listen to you why?"

Hunter didn't have to answer, however, because Dave stood up, a menacing look on his face. Coach quickly scurried away, leaving the group there to shake their heads. Dave looked down, the unasked question in his eyes and he looked at his fiancé. She nodded, looking around at her friends, somewhat embarrassed at the encounter.

"So, Lil, how are the wedding plans going?" Trish spoke up. "You got a dress yet?" the Canadian asked, walking over with Lita to join Randy, Ric, Hunter, and Stephanie.

Lilian glanced at Dave, sighing as she said, "Nah, Trish, I haven't really found anything yet. To tell you the truth, I haven't even looked yet."

"Well, let us know when you want to look… I'll come with you to help you if you want," said Trish, gesturing to Steph and Lita as well. "We all will."

Lilian nodded, forcing the nagging voice out of the back of her head that was pointing out that her mother should be helping her out with that, not her friends. "That'd be cool," Lilian finally answered. "Thanks."

Ric was watching her closely, waiting for a silence between the excited chattering of Trish, Lita, and Steph to softly ask, "What's wrong, Lilian?"

Lilian jumped slightly, looking at Ric. She smiled to herself, surprised that he actually noticed that she was upset. She was beginning to see Ric Flair as a father figure more and more everyday… She cleared her throat slightly, again glancing at Dave who smiled encouragingly at her. Dave knew that Lilian wanted to be the one to tell them, and he respected that. He squeezed her shoulder, letting her know he was right there as she began to speak. "Uh… look, guys, Dave and I have to speed up the wedding... we'll probably get married in about four months."

"What do you mean, Lil?" Hunter asked, glancing between the two. "Why so soon?"

"Well, uh, I'm kinda pregnant." Seeing the surprised looks on everyone's faces, she nervously added, "Well, I'm not kind of pregnant. I definitely am."

Stephanie was the first to speak up, a wide smile spreading on her face as she stood and walked over to Lilian. "God, Lil, congratulations," Stephanie breathed, reaching down to hug her friend. She placed a hand on Lilian's flat stomach, asking, "How far along are you?"

"A month," Lilian replied, smiling slightly at Dave.

"Congratulations, Lil, Dave," Hunter said, shaking Dave's hand and kissing Lilian lightly on the cheek." Ric followed, not saying a word as he too shook Dave's hand and kissed Lilian, though tears were shining in the older man's eyes.

"I am so happy for you," Lita said, hugging Dave and Lilian. "But, if you don't mind me asking, why rush the wedding? Why not just wait?"

Lilian and Dave glanced at each other, Dave choosing to answer the redhead. "We thought about that, Lita. We also thought about seeing a Justice of the Peace before Raw tonight. However, we want to be married before the baby comes but we want all our family and friends there."

Lilian added, "We also want to get married before it's too much stress on me and the baby. Four months should be enough time to plan everything. We were thinking of holding the wedding and reception at Dave's mom's house anyway. Plus, I want to walk down the aisle, not waddle." Everyone laughed at that, causing Lilian to blush slightly. It was hand for all of them to imagine the little blonde pregnant and waddling.

Trish stepped out, hugging Lilian for a long time as Randy patted Dave on the back. "I am so happy for you guys," Trish whispered in Lilian's ear. "Just let me know if I can help with anything."

"I will, Trish," Lilian whispered back, squeezing her friend's hand in appreciation before looking back to the group.

"Hey, Lil, have you told my dad yet?" Stephanie asked, taking Hunter's hand in hers as they watched Lilian and Dave exchange a glance.

"No, I haven't," Lilian replied slowly. "He knows that Dave and I are getting married but not that I'm pregnant. I was going to after the meeting. You don't think he'll be mad, do you?"

"God, no," Stephanie replied with a smile. "He may act like an ass on television, but when it comes to his employees, he really does care. Your safety, and the baby's, is what matters the most to him."

"I still want to ring announce," Lilian said softly, relieved when Dave again squeezed her shoulder, this time in support. They had had a minor argument earlier when Lilian mentioned this. He was content in insisting that she would be fine just doing interviews, but she still wanted to keep her role for as long as possible. Lilian had insisted that she could stay out of the ring and announce, at least until she started showing. If she were to suddenly stop announcing, then people would get suspicious. She wasn't ready to make a public announcement to the fans yet.

"I'm sure something can be worked out," Stephanie replied with a small smile.

Lilian nodded, her stomach rumbling slightly. "Well said," Dave commented to Lilian's stomach.

"I guess Baby wants something to eat," Lilian said sheepishly when everyone laughed.

"And what do Baby and Mommy want?" Dave asked Lilian, standing to get her something to eat.

"Just a banana is fine," Lilian said, hesitating when Dave walked away to call out, "And can you grab some pickles and ketchup too?" Dave grimaced, smiling weakly at his fiancé as he set off to find the items in question. Lilian watched him leave, finally noticing the weird looks everyone was giving her.

"Pickles, ketchup, and bananas, Lil?" Lita asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, leave me alone," Lilian said defensively. "I'm pregnant, I can't help it."

Randy simply shook his head, the youngest member of Evolution speaking up quietly.

"That's just gross."

* * *

End Part 2.4 


	8. Wedding Plans 5

Lilian sighed as she settled down in the soft chair of the restaurant she and Dave were meeting Stephanie and Hunter at for a late Sunday lunch, relieved when the slight ache in her feet subsided. Stephanie and Hunter had wanted Lilian and Dave to meet them for lunch, saying that they wanted to discuss Dave and Lilian's wedding plans. Lilian thanked the waitress as she handed her a menu, also passing them out to Dave, Stephanie, and Hunter.

"May I get you anything to drink?" the waitress asked, looking among the four.

"Just water, please," Lilian said, looking at the other three.

"Uh, we'll share a bottle of Zinfandel," Hunter said to the waitress, nodding toward Stephanie.

The waitress looked at Dave, who replied, "Just water, also, please."

The waitress wrote down their drink orders, Lilian turning to Dave as soon as she left. "You can drink alcohol if you want, sweetie. It's not going to bother me," she said softly.

"It's okay, Sugar," Dave whispered back, stroking her cheek for a second, sharing a smile with his fiancé before turning his attention back to Hunter and Steph who were exchanging an amused look. A few moments went by as the group looked quietly at their menus, contemplating what to order.

The waitress appeared back with their drinks, setting down the waters by Dave and Lilian and bottle of Zinfandel and two empty glasses in front of Hunter and Stephanie. "Are you ready to order?"

"I am if you guys are," Stephanie said with a shrug, glancing at her friends. The three nodded, and Stephanie said, "I'll have the baked salmon with fresh seasonal vegetables."

The waitress looked at Hunter, who said, "I'll take a steak, medium rare, with a baked potato, plain."

Dave spoke up next, "I'll have a steak, well done, and a side of mashed potatoes."

Lilian glanced at the menu one last time before saying, "I'll have the grilled chicken without the bacon topping, and the fresh vegetables without the pepper topping."

"Okay," the waitress said with a smile, accepting their menus back.

Lilian spoke up shyly, asking, "And if it's possible, can I get a side of hot fudge?"

The waitress did a double take, but quickly covered up with a smile as she said, "Sure."

Dave, Stephanie, and Hunter all gave Lilian a strange look at her request, the small blonde shrugging sheepishly. "What?" she asked. "I'm pregnant! I can't help it."

"I don't even want to know what the hot fudge is for," Dave said with a shake of his head, turning his attention to Hunter and Stephanie. After engaging in some small talk about how their weeks went and all, Dave finally asked, "So what did you want to talk to us about?"

Hunter glanced at Stephanie, allowing her to speak up first. "Well, we were talking about your upcoming wedding," Stephanie began. "And we want to help."

Dave looked at Lilian, slightly confused that the two had invited them to lunch just to tell them that. The look on Lilian's face conveyed her confusion as well. "Well, thanks, Steph," Dave finally said. "We appreciate that. A lot."

"See, with Lilian expecting, we know you guys are going to be very stressed. And if you want to plan a wedding in the next four months, you are going to be even more stressed, which isn't good for Lilian or the baby," Hunter pointed out.

"So we want to help. I spoke to my priest, and a friend of ours who owns a country club in Greenwich," Stephanie said. "And if you want it, both our church and his club are available on Saturday, December 31st."

"At that point, Lilian will be going into her fifth month of pregnancy," Hunter pointed out. "So you probably won't be showing that much yet."

Lilian and Dave sat in silence, again glancing at each other. "Wow, guys, we really appreciate that," Lilian finally said. "You really don't have to do this, though."

"We want to, Lilian. We know that Dave's mom has been under the weather lately, and it's going to be difficult for her to clean and plan to have a wedding at her house," Stephanie pointed out. "And I remember how much you want a traditional wedding," the youngest McMahon said, referring to a time when they were both new to the television aspect of the WWE and had spent many nights talking to early in the morning about their dreams and futures.

Lilian nodded slightly, smiling slightly at Dave. "Yeah, I did want a traditional wedding, but I just… I don't know. I'm willing to get married in any way, shape, or form. I don't want to put this all on you guys," she told Hunter and Stephanie.

"Lilian, Dave, trust us when we say that we want to do this for you," Hunter cut in. "We insist on setting this up for you. All you have to do is say yes and Stephanie will call our priest as soon as lunch is over to let him know we want that date."

Lilian and Dave looked at each other for a long time, silently contemplating the idea with their eyes. Finally, Dave shrugged and Lilian nodded. Dave turned to Hunter and Stephanie and finally said, "Okay. Thank you so much. We really appreciate it. You have no clue how much this helps us out."

Hunter shrugged, smiling at his friends. "It's not a problem," he said, glancing at a still silent Lilian.

Lilian shook her head, resisting the urge to start bawling her eyes out… damn hormones. "Thank you," she managed, looking intensely at Hunter and Stephanie. "You have no idea how much we appreciate this."

Hunter smiled, taking Stephanie's hand in his. "I can understand, Lilian. You guys are under a lot of stress and the last thing you needed was to be worried about booking a church and reception hall. We're willing to help you out more but if you want to do the rest on your own, we understand."

"We'll see," Dave replied, taking Lilian's hand in his own. "This really helps us out, big time."

"Well, I remember how much of a pain it was to plan a wedding, and I can only imagine the added stress of being pregnant and looking for a house," Stephanie said with a shrug. "I mean, I'm sure Dave's mom is a great host, but I'm sure you two want a house of your own, soon!"

"Tell me about it!" Dave said with a laugh. "I love my mom but I want my own house."

"Yeah, tell me about it. Mom is incredible but we need to move out, and I don't mean to my tiny apartment," Lilian agreed. "Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. I have an appointment with my doctor Tuesday so she can check on the baby and make everything is okay. Then, we were going to talk with Dave's mom about the wedding some more, but I think we have that settled. Maybe we can look at invitations or something."

"Or dresses," Stephanie said hopefully, winking at her friend for emphasis.

Lilian tilted her head to the side, nodding slightly as she thought. "You know, Steph, that isn't a bad idea. Raw is from D.C. tomorrow, so I'm sure Trish and Lita can meet up with us early to look for dresses. If I find a dress I like, then it's close to home so I don't have to worry about transporting it back here," Lilian said.

"Really?" Stephanie asked hopefully, not noticing when Hunter rolled his eyes at

Dave. "I love dress shopping!"

"I know. It'll be fun," Lilian agreed, sitting back as their food arrived. She watched eagerly as the waitress came with their food, waiting until everyone had their food before eagerly spearing a carrot. She dipped it in the hot fudge, biting into the carrot, closing her eyes briefly at the savory taste.

She opened her eyes to see Stephanie, Dave, and Hunter all staring at her with open mouths, Dave's hands actually poised above his steak with a knife and fork as he prepared to cut it. "What?" she asked indignantly, setting her fork down hastily as they all stared.

Hunter was the first to shake his head, smiling gently at Lilian.

"Nothing, dear, nothing," he murmured, picking up his fork and starting in on his baked potato, prompting the others to continue eating as well.

* * *

End Part 2.5 


	9. Wedding Plans 6

"Hey, gals," Lilian said with a smile as Lita and Trish walked up to the bench where she and Stephanie were sitting.

"Hey girl," Trish said with a giggle, reaching down to hug Lilian. "How's my favorite pregnant engaged blonde ring announcer?"

"I'm the only pregnant engaged blonde ring announcer and I'm fine," Lilian said with a laugh as she hugged Trish back, accepting the blonde's hand to help her up. "A little nauseous but fine. How are you?"

"I'm great," Trish said, looping her elbow through Lilian's. "Ready to look at some wedding dresses!"

"Yeah, me too," Lilian said with a grin, winking at Lita as Trish all but pulled the blonde into the dress shop. "How are you doing, Li?"

"I'm good, Lil," Lita replied. "Tired, but good."

"Ah, out partying late again, eh, Li?" Stephanie asked, holding the door of the boutique for the redhead.

"Yeah, I'm a real party animal," Lita said dryly. The others laughed as they entered the dress shop, quickly becoming quiet as they simply stared.

"Wow," Lilian murmured as she looked at the rows and rows of wedding dresses and bridesmaids dresses. "Good God there's so many dresses."

The girls stared at the dresses for a few more moments until an older lady in a business suit walked up to them. "Hello, ladies," the woman said. "My name is Susan. Can I help you with anything?"

"Yeah… I'm getting married in a few months and I need a wedding dress and possibly bridesmaid dresses," Lilian said, feeling slightly overwhelmed by all the possible dresses.

"Okay," Susan said. "Do you have any ideas about what type of dress you would like?"

"I just want something simple, yet elegant and pretty," she responded, allowing Susan to lead her and the ladies to a section with wedding dresses.

"How about bridesmaids dresses?" Susan asked. "Do you have any colors in mind?"

"Well, my fiancé and I decided that our colors would be pastel pink, cream, and white," she replied slowly, thinking. Lilian then cleared her throat slightly and said, "There's one more thing. I'm pregnant. I'll be five months pregnant at the time of the wedding. If I choose a dress here, what do I do about alterations?"

"It's not a problem, dear," Susan said kindly. "Just make sure you try the dress on at least two weeks in advance and there will be no problems to do alterations."

"Okay," Lilian said, relieved.

Two hours later, Lilian had tried on five possible dresses, and had narrowed the choices down to two possibilities. As she was walking through the bridal boutique, however, yet another dress caught her eye.

"Oh, my God," Lilian gasped, detouring to the dress. "This is it. This is my dress," she gushed, pulling the dress off the rack.

The dress was simple, a flowing white strapless gown. There was a slit along the right side to the knee, and a very small train. There were no fancy beads or sequins, it was just… elegant.

"It's perfect, Lil," Stephanie said quietly, tears forming in her eyes as she looked at the dress Lilian held up to her body.

"Why don't you try it on," Susan suggested gently. Lilian nodded, stepping into a dressing room and pulling on the dress quickly. She stepped out, all four ladies breath catching as she did so.

"God, Lilian," Trish was the first to speak up, stepping up to her so she could zipper the back of the dress. "You look so beautiful."

"Do I really?" Lilian asked shyly, turning so she could see the dress from the back.

"Girl, you are going to knock Dave off his feet as you walk up the aisle," Lita replied with a shake of her head.

"You look so amazing," Stephanie added.

Lilian glanced in the mirror again, looking at Susan, who too was smiling. "I think we have a winner," Lilian told the saleswoman.

Half an hour later, the girls left the boutique, one wedding dress paid for and on hold until Lilian could pick it up later in the week. They hadn't seen any bridesmaid dresses they liked, but they weren't worried. After all, there were still a few months to find dresses. They were all giggling loudly as they walked down the street, excited for Lilian. "I am so hungry," Trish declared. "How about you girls?"

"My stomach's settled down. I could go for something to eat right now," Lilian admitted.

"Like what? Some ice cream with hot sauce?" Stephanie asked, feigning shock when Lilian flipped her off. "Ms. Garcia! Don't be doing that kinda stuff! You may corrupt Baby!"

"Eh, Baby can't see me," Lilian said with a shrug, placing a hand on her stomach. "Besides, you know I hate hot, spicy stuff."

"What are you doing with Dave, then?" Lita asked slyly, grinning when Lilian flipped her the bird also. "Okay then, ice cream with barbeque sauce?"

"You guys are so mean to me," Lilian grumbled, linking her arm through Trish's and walking ahead of Stephanie and Lita. "To think I thought you were my friends!" she sniffled dramatically, laying her head on Trish's shoulder.

"It's okay, Lil," Trish replied smoothly, playfully glaring at Stephanie and Lita, who were now walking with their heads ducked, as if they were ashamed. "You guys should be ashamed! Making fun of Mama over here!"

Lilian pulled her head up, looking at Trish. "Mama?" she asked, giving Trish a look. "Hmm… I kinda like that… makes me feel like Jessie from Saved by the Bell, but I like it!"

The girls all laughed again, this time Lilian joining in. "You are such a geek," Stephanie told the little blonde with a shake of her head, rolling her eyes at her friends' obsession with Saved by the Bell.

"Hmph," Lilian said, tossing her hair back. "I guess you'll have to find someone else to buy your lunch then."

"Hey, hey, don't tease me with free food and expect to get away with it," Lita said with a smile, jogging to catch up with Lilian. "Where are we eating, anyway?"

"I don't know… there's a Dairy Queen, Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds, and Arbys along this strip," Lilian said. "But I'm not feeling McDonald's cause I'll probably be sick within the next half hour."

"That's fine… we don't want you to get sick," Stephanie said sincerely. "How about Dairy Queen?"

"That's fine," Trish said with a shrug, glancing at Lilian and Trish, who too conveyed their agreement.

The short walk to Dairy Queen was fairly uneventful with Lita telling a joke to the girls. They entered the empty restaurant, looking at the menu board, not noticing the awed look on the face of the cashier when he realized that the ladies were part of WWE.

Lilian's cell phone rang, the blonde sighing as the noise cut through the quiet room. "Can you order me a grilled chicken sandwich without mayo and a small Reese's Cup Blizzard?" Lilian asked, handing her credit card to Trish. "Order whatever you want. It's on me," Lilian added, walking off to answer her cell phone.

"All right," she heard Lita say. "Shopping spree time! I saw an awesome shirt in a shop as we walked by…"

"Don't even think it, Red," Lilian threatened as she walked off and answered her phone. "Hello?"

"Lil?"

Lilian frowned, glancing at the number on her phone. A South Carolina area code, she was sure of that… but still…

"Yes?" she answered politely, leaning against a booth.

"Lil… it's Dahlia."

Lilian froze at the sound of her older sister's voice, a voice she hadn't heard since August of 1999. "Lil? Are you there?" she heard her sister ask.

"Yeah, Dahlia, I'm here," Lilian finally replied, sitting down at a booth.

"How are you?"

"I'm good. You?" Lilian answered, slightly confused.

"I'm great… I, uh… I just talked to Daddy." Lilian remained silent, and Dahlia took her silence as a cue to continue. "He told me you're getting married, so I guess congratulations are in order." Still, Lilian didn't say a word, and Dahlia sighed in frustration. "Lil, would you talk. Say thanks, curse me out, do whatever, but please, say something."

Lilian sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Dahlia, I'm sorry… it's just, I'm surprised to hear from you, that's all. Thank you… for the congratulations. It means a lot."

"You're welcome," her sister said softly. "How have you been?"

"Pretty good," Lilian replied. "I, uh…" she hesitated, not wanting to reveal to her sister that she was pregnant, at least not yet. "It's been a whirlwind five years, especially these past two weeks," she finally said.

"Yeah… I can imagine," Dahlia replied. "Trying to plan a wedding is hard work."

'You have no idea,' Lilian thought wryly. "Yeah. So, what did Daddy have to say about me getting married?" she casually asked her sister.

"Uh… do you really want to know?" Dahlia asked gently.

"Eh, maybe not," Lilian replied wryly.

The two made more small talk until Trish, Lita, and Steph joined the little blonde at the table with their food, glancing at her curiously. "Look, Dahlia, I need to get going. I appreciate you calling."

"It's not a problem, Lily," her older sister replied. "I'm just sorry it's been this long."

"I know, Lia," Lilian replied with a sigh, trying to hold her tears back. "I've missed you so much."

"Me, too," Dahlia replied, the crack in her voice letting Lilian know that her sister was upset as well.

"Look, sweetie, I have a show tonight and tomorrow," Lilian said. "But why don't I meet you sometime Wednesday… maybe we can go to lunch or go shopping."

"But won't it be hard to come to South Carolina?" Dahlia fretted.

"Lia, our sisterhood is more important than the money I'll lose changing my airline ticket," Lilian replied softly. "Let me call you tomorrow and we'll make plans, okay?"

"Yeah, Lily," her sister replied. "I love ya, Runtkins."

"Love you too, Tortuga," Lilian replied, smiling at the use of their childhood names. "Talk to you soon."

"Bye." With that, Lilian hung up the phone, looking down at her food for a second before meeting the gazes of her friends.

"Was that Dahlia, as in your sister Dahlia?" Trish asked gently, taking Lilian's hand in hers. Lilian nodded, and Trish gently prompted her, "What did she want?"

"I'm guessing to make amends," Lilian said with a shrug.

"Well, are you?" Stephanie asked.

Lilian sighed, slowly unwrapping her sandwich. "I don't know, Steph. Ask me on Wednesday."

* * *

End Part 2.6 


	10. Wedding Plans 7

Lilian stepped off the plane, yawning slightly as she was finally able to stretch her legs after sitting on the plane. She glanced behind her, smiling as Dave ducked to get out of the terminal, not wanting to hit his head. She held out her hand, allowing Dave to take her hand as they walked into the airport together.

They stopped at the bathroom then made their way to the baggage claim area. Lilian and Dave quickly found their luggage and made their way out of the airport. Dave easily hailed a cab, helping the cab driver to put their stuff in the trunk and Lilian gave the address to Dahlia's house.

She leaned back against the soft cushioning of the cab, smiling wearily at Dave. "I love you," she whispered, taking his hand in hers once again.

"I love you too, Baby," Dave replied softly.

Lilian glanced at him, then asked, "Are you sure you're okay visiting Dahlia and Matthew with me?"

Dave sighed, squeezing Lilian's hand and pulling her gently towards him. She laid her head on his chest, closing her eyes as Dave stroked her soft blonde hair. "Lilian, you know it's not a problem," Dave replied quietly. "I want to meet your sister and her husband. I want them to be part of your life and I want you to be happy. So of course I don't mind going with you."

Lilian smiled, keeping her eyes closed and snuggling up closer to Dave's chest. "I love you so much," Lilian said. "You treat me so well it's not even funny." She opened an eye, glancing at the cab driver when she heard him speaking in another language. He was talking and… there was no one in the front seat. "Who is he talking to?" Lilian asked Dave nervously.

"I don't know, Sugar," Dave said softly, causally glancing in the front seat. "He doesn't have a cell phone or an earpiece… so I dunno."

Lilian nodded, frowning slightly as she looked at Dave. Then, they started laughing together. "Lily, would you stop being bad?" Dave hissed, smiling innocently when the cab driver looked in the backseat.

"I'm not!" Lilian said indignantly, also smiling.

Dave shook his head, then asked softly, "Are you okay with this? Seeing Dahlia after five years, I mean?"

Lilian sighed, tracing the pattern of her jeans before replying, "I dunno, baby. I hope so."

Half an hour later, the cab driver pulled into the driveway of a one level house in a nice looking neighborhood. Lilian stepped out of the car, looking at the house as Dave paid the cab driver and grabbed their bags out of the trunk, slinging them over his shoulder. The cab driver said something to Dave, then hopped in the car and drove away.

"What did he say to you?" Lilian asked curiously, accepting her purse as Dave and she began walking towards the house.

"I don't know," Dave said slyly, "He wasn't talking to me."

Lilian snorted, her breath catching as the front door opened. She stopped in her tracks, Dave nearly bumping into her as she looked at her sister. She stared for a long time, meeting her sister's gaze.

"Lil, it's okay," Dave murmured. "It's gonna be okay, baby, I promise."

She nodded, setting her jaw as she walked up the steps to her sister's house. "Hey, Tortuga," Lilian said tearfully.

"Hey, Runtkins!" her sister replied, opening her arms. Lilian stepped up, hugging her sister for a long time. "I've missed you," Dahlia whispered.

"I've missed you too," Lilian whispered back, holding her sister tightly. Dave and Dalia's husband watched on, both smiling.

After a few long moments, they stepped back, Dahlia keeping her hands on Lilian's arms. "You look awesome, Lil. You've lost weight, haven't you?"

"Yeah," Lilian replied shyly. "You look really good yourself." And her sister did, too. She looked a lot happier than she did five years ago. She noticed her sister glance behind her, looking at Dave. "Dahlia, I'd like you to meet my fiancé, Dave Batista," she introduced.

Dave nodded at Dahlia, smiling slightly as he extended a hand. "Hi, Dahlia," he said softly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You, too, Dave," Dahlia replied. "Lilian, Dave, I'd like to introduce you to my husband, Matthew."

"Nice to meet you, Matthew," Lilian said, taking his hand and then stepping aside so Dave could do the same thing. The four then stood there awkwardly, looking at each other.

"Well, come on in," Dahlia finally said, gesturing for Lilian and Dave to enter her house. Dave and Lilian stepped into her house, glancing around curiously. "Let me show you where you'll be staying, that way Dave can put your stuff down," Dahlia added. "Then, I guess Matt and I can take you out to dinner and maybe walk along the beach. Our treat."

Lilian and Dave followed her sister, Dave saying, "Dahlia, you don't have to take us to dinner. We're your guests-"

"Exactly, Dave. I invited you guys," Dahlia said, smiling up at Lilian's fiancé. "So it's our treat."

Dave opened his mouth to protest, but Lilian put a hand over his mouth. "Trust me, Dave," she said sweetly, "When I tell you never to argue with my sister. You won't win."

She removed her hand, and Dave shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, but we're buying dinner tomorrow," he said.

* * *

A few hours later, after dinner, Dahlia and Lilian were walking along the beach as Dave and Matthew were tossing a football back and forth. 

"So what do you think of Dave?" Lilian asked nervously, laughing to herself as she remembered having this conversation many times before with Dahlia over the course of their teenage years.

"He's nice, Lil. He's big, though. He makes you look even smaller than you already are."

"I know," Lilian exclaimed. "But I love cuddling against him. I feel like I fit perfectly into his side and that he towers over me and that we're just made for each other… and I'm gushing, aren't I?" Lilian asked, seeing her older sibling smirk slightly.

"Yeah, but it's cute. You're in looooooove!" Dahlia replied, drawing out the last word. "You're allowed." Lilian laughed, shaking her head as her sister suddenly became serious. "Can you believe we're actually here together?" Dahlia asked Lilian, stopping along the beach to sit down, Lilian following her movements.

"No, I can't," Lilian admitted. "But it is nice to be back in South Carolina for an actual visit rather than just stopping here for a show then moving on to the next town." Lilian paused, glancing at her sister. "And I'm glad to be here with you, making things right. Even if Daddy hates my career choice, I'm glad that you want to be part of my life."

Dahlia nodded, sighing as she pulled her knees to her chest. "I'm sorry, Lil." Lilian remained quiet, waiting for her sister to continue. "I'm sorry that I haven't been there for you these past few years. It's just… Daddy made it seem like you left the family… made it seem like you didn't want anything to do with us. But when we talked, when he told me you were getting married, he said that you contacted him. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was the one who shunned you from the family." Dahlia sighed, looking out towards the ocean, watching as two seagulls fought over a fish. Lilian watched Dahlia, still remaining silent, knowing that her sister was attempting to gather her thoughts… wanting to say the right things. Finally, Dahlia glanced back at Lilian. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I know it's a shitty excuse, and I'm not trying to make excuses for myself. But Lilian, please trust me when I say I want to make amends. I want to be part of your life again."

Lilian sighed softly, shaking her head. "Lia, I need you to trust me, too. Trust me when I say that I love you and I never stopped thinking of you as my sister. I want to be part of your life… I want to be able to come visit and bug you and call you at three in the morning when I have a girl problem. I want to show you what I bought you for Christmas with the crazy idea that you're going to show me what you got me." Dahlia snickered, remembering that trick she played on her sister every year. "I want you to visit me backstage at shows and have front row seats for events so I can point you out and proudly tell everyone in the crowd that you're my sister." Dahlia laughed, placing an arm around Lilian's shoulder, pulling her little sister close. Lilian wrapped her arm around her sister, laying her head on her shoulder. "I want to be part of your life again, Dahlia. But what about Daddy? He made it clear that he doesn't want anything to do with me."

Dahlia sighed, laying her head on top of Lilian's. "I don't know, Lil. My relationship with Mom and Dad is strong, and I don't want to break that. But you are important to me, and if Daddy doesn't accept that, then… well, I guess it's a risk I have to take, Lily."

Lilian remained quiet, simply enjoying the silence between her and her sister. Together, they watched kids playing, families tossing Frisbees and footballs, dogs running across the sand on the quiet night. Behind them, the boardwalk was bustling, South Carolina residents and guests enjoying the breezy Wednesday night.

"Hey, babe," Matthew said, settling down next to Dahlia. "You gals having fun with your girl talk?"

"You know it, sweetie," Dahlia said, kissing her husband of three years on the cheek.

"You have fun, babe?" Lilian asked Dave, kissing him on the nose and taking his hand in hers.

"Yeah," Dave replied. "Matt's got a rocket of an arm there," he added, tossing the football over Lilian and Dahlia's heads so Matt could catch the football.

"Hey, how about we play couple against couple?" Matt suggested. Lilian froze, her body tensing slightly. "Come on, it'll be fun," Matt insisted, seeing the less than enthusiastic looks on the girls' faces.

"Uh… I appreciate the offer, Matt, but I can't," Lilian said, glancing at Dave. He nodded encouragingly to her, and she looked back to her sister and her husband. "There's something I need to tell you guys. Sitting on a beach wasn't the way I imagined it, but still… you deserve to know this." Lilian smiled hesitantly at her sister before saying, "I'm pregnant. About a month and a half along."

Dahlia and Matthew sat there, shocked for a moment before Dahlia broke into a wide smile. "Lily! I'm so excited! I'm gonna be an aunt," she squealed, slapping Matthew lightly on the chest before turning to hug her sister. "Congratulations!" she said happily, leaning across Lilian to hug Dave also.

"There's something else," Lilian said softly. She felt Dave rub his fingers over her engagement ring, and then continued. "As you know, we're getting married. I'd be honored if you be my maid-of-honor, Dahlia."

"Oh my God," Dahlia said softly. "Are you sure, Lily?"

"Positive," Lilian said firmly. "I've talked it over with Dave and the other bridesmaids and we want you to be the maid-of-honor." She looked at Dahlia, sticking her lower lip out in a pout and asking, "Please?"

"Of course," Dahlia finally said. "I'd be honored."

"Thank you," Lilian said, wrapping her arm around Dahlia's shoulders again. "It means a lot to me."

"No problem."

The four sat in silence for a few moments before Matthew spoke up. "How about we go get some ice cream? Dave's buying. He lost our little bet."

"What's that bet, sweetie?" Lilian asked looking at Matthew confused when Dave blushed slightly.

"You don't even want to know."

* * *

End Part 2.7 

The part with the cab driver is something that actually happened to my sister, my mom and I while we were in Chicago. Trust me when I say riding in a cab, passing by other cars at 50 mph with inches to spare with a cab driver talking to himself is not for the weak at heart.

Now review, please. All reviews are greatly appreciated.


	11. Wedding Plans 8

Lilian sighed, running a hand over her rapidly swollen belly. It was now Christmas Eve, one week before her wedding. The past four months had gone quickly, albeit smoothly. The bridesmaids dresses and groomsmen tuxes were chosen, her dress was undergoing the final alterations, the flowers and cake were ordered, and they had a suite in Connecticut set up for the rehearsal dinner. Now, all they had to do was relax and wait for the big day to come. Everything was paid for, and she was ready.

She was sitting in the living room of Dave's mother's house, her feet propped up on the couch, a fire burning brightly in the fireplace. She adjusted the blanket over her waist, shivering slightly despite the warmth. Lilian glanced at the large Christmas tree standing proudly in the corner, decorated with old yet well loved ornaments, the smell of pine fresh in the house. She took in a deep breath, enjoying the smell of turkey cooking and other delicious foods that Dave's mother was making for a Christmas Eve dinner.

She turned her head to the door, smiling gratefully as she saw Dave bringing her a mug of mint hot chocolate. "Thank you, Babe," she said softly, accepting the warm mug in her cold hands.

"You okay, Sugar?" Dave asked softly, settling down at the end of the couch, lifting her feet up and placing them in his lap.

"Yeah," Lilian said with a small sigh. "My feel just hurt and I miss Trish and Steph and Dahlia and everyone. I didn't get to see them last week since Raw was in Iraq and I couldn't travel that far. Plus, Dahlia is visiting my Dad, so…"

"It's okay, Lil," Dave replied gently. "I'm sure Trish and them understand. And Dahlia will be here the day after Christmas, so you'll get to see her."

"Yeah, I know," Lilian answered. "I just feel like I should be seeing my friends… well, my family, at this time of the year."

"Just think, Lil… you could still have sickness," Dave said with an innocent grin, rubbing Lilian's feet, trying to get her to cheer up some.

"Shut up, David," Lilian said, though her words were accompanied by her megawatt smile. "Thank God that shit is over."

"Yeah, tell me about it!" Dave teased, ducking his head back when Lilian put her slipper clad foot in his face. "Stop that!" he said, stealing her slipper.

"Hey! Give me my slipper back!" Lilian said indignantly. "Or I won't wear socks to bed and will put my cold feet on your back!"

"Okay, okay, you win!" Dave said with a laugh, putting her slipper back on for her. "There. No cold feet tonight."

"Hmm… we never shook on it, baby," Lilian replied slyly, tapping her chin.

"That's just cruel," Dave said, shaking his head. "I'll make sure you're the one to explain to my mother why I'm screaming in the middle of the night."

Lilian laughed, shaking her head. "So… Dave, I hate to bring this up now, but what did you think of the house we looked at a couple days ago?"

"Honestly, Lil, I didn't really like it," he admitted, relieved when she nodded her agreement with him.

"I know… I really loved that house we looked at last week," Lilian said dreamily. "One floor, ranch style, beautiful. Close to your mother… That awesome Jacuzzi…"

"I know, Lil," Dave said with a small smile. "It was beautiful, but the real estate agent told us it got bought, remember?"

"I know," Lilian replied with a slight pout. "Oh, well. We'll find something. We could live in a shack and I'd be happy. As long as I'm with you, it's okay."

Dave smiled, looking up as his mother walked into the den area. "Dave, dear, would you mind helping me with the potatoes?" she asked.

"Sure, Mom," Dave replied, lifting Lilian's feet up to stand up.

"Is there anything I can do, Mom?" Lilian asked, prepared to swing her feet down to stand up to help.

"No, dear. Just lay there and prop your feet up," Dave's mom said kindly. "Honestly, we can handle it. I know your feet and back are hurting you."

"Okay," Lilian replied, laying her head back against the pillow. "Thank you."

She watched as Dave and his mother walked out of the room, Dave wrapping his arm across his mother's shoulders. She felt tears welling in her eyes as she thought about the loving relationship Dave had with his mother… and the lack of relationship she had with hers. "Damn it, Lil, relax," she murmured to herself, brushing her eyes. "Fucking hormones."

With another sigh, Lilian grabbed the remote, flipping through the channels, nearly squealing with excitement when she saw that there was a Saved by the Bell marathon on. She settled back, smiling as she watched Slater and Jessie get into yet another argument.

She was just getting into the episode when the doorbell rang. "Lilian, can you grab that?" Dave called from the kitchen. "It's probably some Carolers."

"No problem, Dave," Lilian said, pushing herself up from the couch and walking towards the front door. She felt bad that she wasn't able to help more with dinner preparations, but she just felt so tired right now. 'I hope I'm not like this next week,' she thought worriedly, opening the door.

"Surprise!" Lilian heard, jumping slightly when looked out the screen door.

Lilian covered her mouth with her hands, shocked to see Stephanie, Hunter, Trish, Lita, Dahlia, and Matthew all standing there, each holding a small pile of presents and smiling widely. "Oh, my God," she said happily. "Come on in!" She pushed open the door, ushering them in. "What are you guys doing here?" Lilian asked, accepting a hug from her sister.

"Well, we heard you were kinda sad that we weren't going to see each other for Christmas," Dahlia said. "So, Dave contacted all of us and here we are."

"But what about your families?" Lilian worried, glancing between her friends.

"It's not a problem, Lil," Stephanie replied. "My Dad sends his holiday greetings, by the way. He said the soldiers in Iraq were all asking for you. Apparently, you're quite popular over there."

"Hmm…. Must be her irresistible charm," Lita said, hugging Lilian.

"Either that or that sexy Santa's Little Helper outfits she wears," Trish teased, laughing when Lilian blushed.

Lilian laughed too, willing the tears that had formed away. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing Dave and his mother standing there, both smiling. "Thank you," she said softly.

Dave nodded at her, his eyes conveying his response. "You're welcome, dear," his mother replied. "Now come on. Dinner is served!"

* * *

A couple hours later, they were all settled into the living room, happily opening presents. Trish all but shrieked in excitement when she saw that Dave and Lilian had gotten her the first and second seasons of ER on DVD. "Thank you so much! You so know I'm bringing this on the road with me!" she said, hugging Lilian and Dave.

"Yeah, thanks," Lita said sarcastically. "I'm holding both of you hostage and forcing you to spend the night with her, too."

The group laughed, looking among each other. Lilian was curled up on the couch, leaning against Dave, smiling up happily at him. He kissed her forehead, wrapping his arm across her shoulders. Trish was sitting on the other end of the couch, reading the backs of the DVD's, looking as if she was about to go pop one of the DVD's into Dave's DVD player at that very moment. Lita was looking at the shirt Trish had bought her, one that would obviously be worn for the next live edition of Raw. Stephanie was sitting in an armchair, Hunter on the floor in front of her, looking very content as she ran her fingers through his hair. Dahlia and Matthew leaned against the couch in front of Lilian, Dahlia resting her head on her husband's shoulder. Dave's mom sat in an armchair, one that had been her husband's favorite, surveying the group.

"I think this is my favorite Christmas ever," Lilian spoke up after a few moments of silence. "And it isn't even Christmas yet!"

Dave glanced at his mom, who nodded slightly. He cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "Lilian, I was going to wait until tomorrow, but I want to give you one of your presents tonight while everyone is here," he told her.

"Okay, but you and Mom have to open a present, too," Lilian agreed.

"Okay," Dave said, laughing. "Well, Lilian, remember that house that you fell in love with?"

"The one with the Jacuzzi? The one that is off the market?" she asked, wondering why he was bringing that up now.

"Yeah," Dave said, smiling at her.

"What about it?"

"You're looking at the buyer."

Lilian's jaw dropped and she stared at him, not really comprehending what he was saying. She finally managed to stutter, "You- you mean- we…"

Dave laughed at her reaction, hugging her closely as he said, "We settle on January 8th."

"Oh, my God, Dave!" Lilian squealed, hugging and kissing him. "I can't believe this!"

"Believe it, sweetie," Dave said with a grin. "It'll soon be ours."

"Our first home," Lilian said dreamily. She saw that her friends were watching her, and she said, "You guys are going to LOVE this house. It's so beautiful. There's a huge Jacuzzi and it's so freaking cute."

"Yeah, we gathered," Hunter said with a laugh.

"Oh, I can't wait for settlement," Lilian said happily. The doorbell rang, and everyone glanced toward the doors. "Carolers again?" Lilian asked Dave, raising an eyebrow at her fiancé.

"I don't know of anyone else coming," Dave said, walking to the door, everyone following him. He opened the door, seeing that this time it really was a small group of Christmas Carolers.

Everyone stood silently, listening as the group sang 'Silent Night.' When they were finished, everyone clapped for the young Carolers. Dave's mom went and grabbed some cookies, offering them to the youngsters as everyone fussed over how cute they were.

"Just think, Sugar. In a few years, that could be us taking Carolers around on Christmas Eve," Dave said softly, kissing Lilian on the forehead.

"I know," Lilian said softly. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

End Part 2.8

Next in the series: Till Death Do Us Part


	12. Till Death Do Us Part 1

The week between Christmas Eve and the wedding passed quickly. Now, Lilian, Dahlia, and Stephanie were at Stephanie's house, waiting for Trish and Lita to arrive so they could go out to a club. Dave, Hunter, Ric, and Randy had all left about half an hour ago, neither Dave nor Lilian looking too pleased about having to leave each other for the night… however, tradition called for them not to see each other the day of the wedding, so…

"Hey, girls!" Trish said, walking into Stephanie's house. "Sorry we're late! Lita here had to do her hair about a million times."

"Oh, don't even go there, Blondie!" Lita said, smacking Trish on the arm. "Trish here bumped into Randy," she drew out the young wrestler's name before continuing, "In the hotel and decided to flirt for an hour."

"Shut up!" Trish replied, smacking Lita on the shoulder. "You weren't supposed to say anything!"

Stephanie shook her head at the two ladies' bantering. "So how are you two doing?"

"Good," Lita said, glancing at Lilian, who was leaning against a pillow on the couch, her feet propped up on Dahlia's lap. "How's the blushing bride doing?"

"I'm good, even though I feel fat," Lilian answered, rubbing a hand over her swollen stomach. "Ready to enjoy my last night as a Bachelorette!"

"Getting cold feet, Lil?" Trish asked with a grin, knowing fully well that that was not the case at all.

"Of course not!" Lilian said, knowing Trish was teasing her. "It's just weird to think that tomorrow I will be Mrs. David Batista."

The girls all nodded, looking at Lilian. "Are you sure you want to go to this club tonight?" Stephanie asked Lilian.

Lilian sighed slightly, nodding. "It's okay… I mean, this is your night for fun too. I don't know what you have planned, so… I guess I'll just go with the flow."

"Okay, Lil," Trish said. "Let's go!"

The girls left Stephanie's house, and Lilian laughed when she saw a limo sitting in front of the house. "Surprise!" they said together.

"You guys! You didn't have to get a limo!"

"We know," Dahlia said. "But we wanted to. Now let's really go have fun!"

* * *

Dave walked up to the strip club, somewhat uncomfortable as his friends held the door. He knew this was his last night as a Bachelor, and that he was supposed to have fun… but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being disloyal to Lilian.

"All right, what do you want first, Big Man?" Ric asked Dave.

"Uh… just a Budweiser, I guess," he replied, running a hand through his hair.

"You heard the man," Ric said to a bartender, settling on a stool next to Dave. "You okay, Dave?" he asked, watching as Dave glanced around the club.

"What?" Dave asked, shaking his head, meeting the gaze of his friend. "Yeah, Ric, I'm fine."

"You sure? Getting nervous or something? Cause I'll personally kill you if you hurt Lilian's feelings-"

"Ric, you know damn well that I could never hurt Lilian… I just… don't worry about it, man. Tonight we're supposed to have fun," Dave said, smiling at the bartender sliding a beer down the bar to him. "Thanks, man," he said, laying down a tip and turning around to survey the action. He nearly rolled his eyes when he saw Randy at the edge of the stage, a wad of dollar bills in his hand as he eagerly waited for one of the pole dancers to make her way over to him. His gaze traveled over to Hunter, who was sitting on a couch, two girls sitting on either side of him, talking his ear off. Hunter looked less than thrilled that they were next to him but he didn't want to be rude to the girls.

"Hey there, ladies and gentleman, we have a last night Bachelor in the house!" Dave heard the DJ proclaim.

Dave nearly groaned when Ric, Randy, and Hunter all started clapping and pointing to him. He did, however, actually groan when two of the strippers made their way over to him and pulled him off of the bar stool and guided him up onto the stage.

The men in the club all cheered as the girls pushed Dave down into a chair, one going behind him and massaging his shoulders and the other giving him a lap dance. Dave averted his gaze from the woman leaning in front of him, obviously pressing her breasts into his face on purpose. He met eyes with Hunter, who immediately stopped smiling when he saw the look on Dave's face.

As the girl in front of Dave turned around to sit on his lap, Hunter stepped on the stage, a small smile on his face. "Ladies, we appreciate your services, but we're gonna have to call an end to this right now," he said gently, winking at the strippers as he slipped them each a couple of twenty dollar bills. They took the hint and backed off, turning their attention to a young man who had just turned twenty-one, pulling the nervous boy up on stage with them as his friends hooted and hollered.

Dave shook his head, closing his eyes as he stood up from the chair. "Thank you, Hunter," Dave said softly. "I just can't get Lilian out of my head."

"It's okay, buddy. I understand," Hunter said, punching Dave lightly in the arm as they met up with Ric and Randy. "So what do you want to do?" Hunter asked Dave.

Dave ran his hand through his hair, shaking his head. "I don't know, guys. I just kind of want to go back to the hotel and grab a pizza and watch some scary movies," he finally said.

"Hey, Big Man, it's your night," Ric said, shrugging his shoulders. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

Lilian laughed as she watched Trish dance with Stephanie, the blonde obviously drunk off her ass. Lilian wasn't sure what all Trish had drank so far, but she was sure that the blonde would have one heck of a hangover when all was said and done. 'Thank God my wedding is at 6:00 in the evening,' Lilian thought wryly, knowing that Trish was going to be sleeping for a long time tomorrow.

"Hey, Lil, what's up? You having fun?" Dahlia asked, settling next to her sister on the soft plush couch that had been provided by the club, handing her another diet Coke and taking a sip of her Cosmo.

"Yeah, Lia, I am," Lilian replied, curling her feet underneath her. "It's fun sitting here people watching. Where's Lita, by the way?"

"Over there, dancing with some guy," Dahlia said, gesturing. Lilian turned her head just in time to see the guy purposely grope Lita's backside, the redhead not happy with the action.

"Uh oh," Lilian murmured, struggling to stand when Lita hauled off and decked the guy.

"Lilian, stay here," Dahlia said fiercely, running over to where Lita and the guy were standing, yelling at each other, frantically gesturing for Stephanie to join her. Stephanie ran over as well when she saw the commotion that had stirred, Trish stumbling over to join Lilian.

"Hey, preggers," Trish said loudly, laughing as she leaned against Lilian. "What's going on?"

"Lita's about to kick someone's ass, and Dahlia and Steph are trying to stop her from doing that," Lilian said, struggling to hold her friend up.

"Ooh! Can we join in?" Trish giggled.

"No, we can't," Lilian told her friend. "I'm pregnant and you're plastered. That isn't a good combination." Trish laughed loudly at her friends words. Lilian merely shook her head, watching as a bouncer finally made his way over to the group, breaking up the argument. He said something to Lita, what Lilian did not know, over the loud music. Lita shook her head, flipped the guy who had harassed her off, and made her way over to Lilian and Trish, Dahlia and Steph following closely.

"Come on, guys, we need to get out of here," Lita said angrily.

"Whyyyyy?" Trish whined loudly. "I wanna stay!"

"Well, apparently, I'm getting kicked out of the bar because someone," Lita said, angrily raising her voice to let the guy who had grabbed her ass hear her, "Can't keep his hands to HIMSELF!"

"Li, chill," Steph said softly, guiding Lita away, leaving Dahlia and Lilian to guide Trish away. "Let's just get out of here."

The five ladies made their way out of the bar. Lita shook her head, turning to Lilian. "I'm sorry, Lil, I didn't mean to ruin your big night," she said.

"Eh, it's okay," Lilian said with a smile. "It was funny to see you hit that guy."

Everyone laughed and Dahlia glanced at her watch. "Well, Lil, it's officially the big day," she said. "12:09 in the morning."

"WHAT?" Trish all but yelled. "We missed the countdown? Aw, man!"

"Trish, hush. It's not New Year's yet. It's December 31st," Steph interrupted before the blonde started crying. "So what are we going to do?"

"I don't know… you know any good all night diners?" Lilian asked Stephanie. "I'm having a craving for a Rueben."

"As a matter of fact, I do," Stephanie said.

"Do they serve booze?" Trish asked, stumbling against Dahlia, Lilian's sister easily keeping the blonde on her feet.

"No, thank God," Stephanie muttered. "Nah, Trish, but they do have good pancakes," she said, knowing that the blonde loved pancakes.

"Yes! Let's go!" Trish said, running to the limo, all of the girls laughing hysterically when, in her drunken state, she forgot that there were doors to the limo and crashed into the side. Trish fell backwards, sitting up, a confused look on her face. "I… uh, I meant to do that," Trish said sheepishly, struggling to stand.

"This is the night where we need the video camera," Lita commented, walking over to help the blonde Canadian up.

"Oh, Lil, aren't you gonna miss stuff like this when you're married and when Baby arrives?" Steph asked, wrapping her arm around Lilian's shoulder.

"Yeah, a little bit," Lilian replied with a shrug. "I still hope we can do girl's nights out, though! And not just when someone is getting married."

"Nah, I promise, Lil," Stephanie said, allowing Lilian to climb in the limo. "But let's not worry about that now! Let's just have fun!"

* * *

End Part 3.1 


	13. Till Death Do Us Part 2

"Good God, Lilian."

That was the first thing Lilian heard after she opened the door to the dressing room provided at the church where she and Dave were going to be married. Trish, Lita, and Stephanie were all sitting on a couch, waiting patiently for Lilian to put on her dress and walk out of the dressing room.

"What, do I look fat?" Lilian asked nervously when her three friends simply stared at her.

"God, no, Lil," Trish said. "You just look gorgeous."

"Yeah," Lita said, simply staring at her friend. "Wow… you bring new meaning to the term 'Hot Mama'!"

"Thank you," Lilian said with a blush, holding the veil in her hand… looking a little lost and unsure of exactly how to put the veil in without messing up the curls her hairdresser had spent an hour doing.

"Wow, Lilian… the dress is even more beautiful than before," Stephanie finally chimed in, wiping away a tear. "Maybe it's the fact that you have a little baby belly now and look so… radiating. You look so amazing. I can't believe you're getting married!"

"Oh, please don't make me cry!" Lilian said, sniffling slightly and tucking a piece of her curly hair back into place. "I don't want my makeup to run!"

"Why, Lilian, you know you'll be crying as soon as you see Dave at the alter," Trish told her, laughing when Lilian flipped her off. "Lilian Anne Garcia! That isn't very nice!"

"Yeah, leave her alone," Lita said.

"Thank you, Li," Lilian said, allowing Dahlia to lead her to the mirror.

"I say she makes it to the wedding vows before she starts crying," Lita whispered to Trish.

"Loser buys a shot?"

"Sure," Lita agreed, shaking hands quickly with Trish before walking over to watch and help Lilian put her veil on.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"God, Dave, you look like you just went through a match with Chris Benoit," Hunter said, settling down next to his friend as he fussed with the tie on his tuxedo yet again. "You need a napkin to mop up all that sweat, Big Man?"

"Fuck off, Hunter," Dave replied. "I seem to remember you pacing like a caged animal on your wedding day."

"Hmmm… shouldn't you be the one pacing like a caged animal?" Hunter asked. "You are, after all, the-"

"Animal. Yeah, I get it, Trips."

"You okay, man?" Hunter asked seriously, taking in his friend's nervous banter.

"Yeah," Dave said quietly. "I just… this is a big moment in my life. I'm about to marry the woman of my dreams. I just can't seem to stop reflecting on the past two and a half years we've spent together. They've been simply amazing… and I can't help but wonder if it can get any better."

He paused, glancing at Hunter, surprised to see his friend looking back at him with a serious look. Dave had expected Hunter to be somewhat teasing of his suddenly serious statement, but…

"Dave… are you wondering if Lilian is going to fall out of love with you?"

Dave took a deep breath, exhaling slowly before replying, "Yeah. I think so."

"Well don't. Dave, I see the way you look at each other. I see the way you look at each other across the ring, I see the way she looks at you when she snuggles under your arm. Lilian Garcia is in love with you, and I don't think anything will ever change that."

Dave nodded slowly, allowing the Game's words to sink in. "Thank you," Dave finally said softly.

"No problem, buddy," Hunter said, wrapping an arm around his friends shoulders as Randy walked into the room, the young man looking somewhat more dashing than the others in his tuxedo.

"They're ready for us to take our places at the alter," Randy said, gesturing with his head to Michael and John, Dave's brothers, the two other groomsmen.

Dave took another deep breath, standing up slowly, brushing out what he thought was wrinkles in his pants. "Are you ready, big Man?" Hunter asked him, and Dave looked back at him with a serious yet calm look.

"I've been ready."

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"Wow." Lilian nearly laughed when Ric saw her, the older man shaking his head as he took in the sight of Lilian in her wedding dress. He took her hand, guiding her in a slow circle so he could see the entire dress. "Lilian, you look stunning," Ric finally said, shaking his head as he fluffed the front of her veil. "Dave's gonna faint at the alter."

Lilian chuckled slightly, rubbing a protective hand over her stomach as she moved her hand to Ric's elbow. "Thank you, Ric," Lilian said softly, accepting the bouquet of lilies and daisies that was offered to her. "For everything." Ric simply nodded, understanding what she was conveying.

She listened as Canon in D, the beautiful violin piece by Johann Pachelbel played, something that she and Dave had requested. Lilian watched as Dave's nephew made his way down the aisle, the guests oohing and aahing at the adorable young man, who seemed to be soaking up the attention as he smiled at the guests before taking his spot in front of Dave, Hunter, Randy, Michael, John, and the priest.

Next up was Dahlia, who made her way slowly down the aisle, meeting the loving gaze of her husband for several long moments. Matthew smiled at Dahlia, his heart fluttering as he looked at his wife in the soft pink bridesmaid dresses that the ladies had agreed on after a month of debate.

Stephanie walked down the aisle behind Dahlia, a wide smile on her face as she made her way through the guests. She saw many of her colleagues looking at her, shocked, for they were not used to seeing the youngest McMahon in a dress; they were accustomed to her traditional trendy business suits. She nearly laughed at this, bringing her eyes up to meet those of Hunter, who winked at her from his spot next to Dave.

Lita was next, walking down the aisle, keeping her attention on the aisle in front of her. As much as she hated to admit it, weddings scared her. She was fine walking down the aisle as thousands of screaming fans called her name, but to the tune of one of the most beautiful violin pieces in the world, she felt nervous. So, instead of scanning the group to meet the gazes of her friends, she merely kept her eyes on the front of the church, walking up the steps to take her place next to Stephanie and Dahlia.

Trish all but skipped down the aisle, her head held high as she looked through the crowd, sharing a special smile with Ivory, a woman who Lilian and Trish was pretty good friends with. After she turned her attention back to the front of the church, she met the gaze of Randy Orton. The young superstar was watching her intensely, the look on his face one of pure desire. However, she merely blushed a little, continuing down the aisle until she was standing behind Lita.

"Go ahead, sweetheart," Lilian said gently to Dave's niece Kayla once Trish look her spot.

"No," Kayla pouted, the shy five year old crossing her arms. "Don't wanna."

Lilian nearly smacked her forehead when his niece did that. That hadn't happened at rehearsal two nights ago. "Sweetie," Lilian said sweetly, trying to keep the annoyed tone out of her voice, kneeling down to meet the eyes on the young girl. "Remember what your Daddy said about all the cookies you can eat at the reception?"

That was all it took for Kayla to turn and walk down the aisle, sprinkling white lily petals with every step. The cameras appeared to be flashing more than before as the young girl walked down the aisle, smiling in a silly manner at everyone, the frequent "Aw!" escaping the voices of the guests.

"Well, that's one disaster averted," Lilian said to Ric, walking with him to the doors as the wedding march began playing, the guests standing and turning as they tried to get a glimpse of Lilian walking down the aisle. However, she was oblivious to all this as she and Ric began walking down the aisle, leading her to Dave.

Dave stared at Lilian, his heart skipping a beat as he watched Lilian walk down the aisle. God. She looked gorgeous. Gorgeous wasn't even that strong of a word, Dave realized, looking at his soon to be wife. He knew she would choose a simple dress, and this one just looked ravishing on her as she walked down the aisle, seemingly gliding with perfect grace, keeping a gentle grip on her flower bouquet as Ric kept a hand on her arm. She didn't even look nervous.

Until she looked into his eyes.

The two locked eyes, the little blonde not faltering as she made her way down the aisle. Still, Dave could tell that she suddenly changed her demeanor, now looking not as calm and collected as before; rather, as if she couldn't wait to make it to the alter to marry him. They kept eye contact for a few more seconds before they broke the gaze at the same time, Dave taking a deep breath to marvel in how beautiful she looked and Lilian to smile at Vince, Linda, and Shane McMahon, who were looking at their two employees with pride in their eyes.

Finally, Lilian and Ric made it to the base of the steps, Ric helping Lilian up the steps so they were standing in front of the priest, Ric keeping a light grip on Lilian's hand as the priest officiating the service smiled at the two.

"Who gives this woman away to this man?" the priest asked, his hands held out in front of him.

"I do," Ric said, his voice loud and clear as he proudly looked between Lilian and Dave, a lump suddenly forming in his throat as he looked between two people he considered to be like his own children. Swallowing, Ric turned to Lilian, lifting her veil up and over her hair, kissing her lightly on the cheek.

"Thank you," she whispered before turning back to Dave, smiling nervously.

Ric nodded, taking Dave's hands in his, giving Dave's hands a squeeze before enjoining them with Lilian's hands, the little blonde stepping next to Dave, smiling up at him as Dahlia took her flowers for the brief ceremony.

"Before Lilian and Dave exchange their wedding vows, they asked that a passage from the first book of Corinthians be read aloud," the priest said, looking among the guests as he turned to his Bible.

"Love is patient; love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offense. There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope, and endurance. In a word, there are three things that last forever: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of them all is love."

The priest allowed the words to sink in for a few long moments, then nodded at Dave, signifying that it was now okay for him to say his wedding vows.

"I, David, take you Lilian to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live until death do us part," he told Lilian, his voice never once wavering.

"David, do you take Lilian to be your wife, to have and to hold, from this moment forward?" the priest asked.

"I do," Dave said, his voice soft yet strong.

"I, Lilian, take you, David, to be my husband, my constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally," Lilian said, her voice finally cracking slightly as she finished her vows, "To support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live."

"Lilian, do you take David to be your husband, to have and to hold, from this moment forward?" the priest asked.

"I do," Lilian said, a tear trailing down her cheek.

The priest turned to Hunter. "May I have the rings?" he asked quietly, Hunter handing him the rings carefully. He looked among the guests before saying, "The ring is a circle. It has no end, much like the love that David and Lilian share." He turned back to Dave and said, "David, take this ring and place it on Lilian's finger and repeat after me: with this ring, I thee wed, and with it, I bestow upon thee all the treasures of my mind, heart, and hands."

"With this ring, I thee wed, and with it, I bestow upon thee all the treasures of my mind, heart, and hands," Dave repeated, his eyes never leaving Lilian's as he slipped the ring on her finger.

"Lilian, take this ring and place it on David's finger, and repeat after me: with this ring, I thee wed, and with it, I bestow upon thee all the treasures of my mind, heart, and hands."

"With this ring, I thee wed, and with it, I bestow upon thee all the treasures of my mind, heart, and hands," Lilian said softly, sliding the ring carefully on Dave's finger, her long fingers gently caressing his hand as she smiled up at him, another tear slipping down her cheeks.

"You so owe me a shot," Lita said softly to Trish, the blonde glaring at her friend slightly as Dave and Lilian turned and faced the audience.

"Ladies and gentleman, please allow me to introduce Mr. and Mrs. David Batista," the priest stated, stepping back for a few moments.

Everyone in the audience clapped as Dave and Lilian smiled among the crowd. Lilian laughed when Ivory and Victoria stood, clapping for the two, sending a ripple affect among the onlookers who gave them a standing ovation. After a few moments of clapping, the noise finally settled down as Lilian and Dave turned back to the priest.

"Congratulations," the priest said warmly, smiling at the couple. "By the power invested in me, I proudly claim you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Dave grinned down at Lilian, wrapping his arms around her as his lips met hers in a gentle kiss, their first as husband and wife. They were barely aware of the cheers and clapping as they broke apart.

"I love you so much," Dave said softly, kissing her again. "I love you too," Lilian replied as the wedding march began playing. Dahlia handed her back her flowers, and the married couple made their way proudly down the aisle.

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End Part 3.2


	14. Till Death Do Us Part 3

Well, it's been a week. I apologize for the lack of update since Sunday August 13th. However, on August 14, 2006, 11 years and 11 months after losing my grandmother, I lost my beloved Poppy after a long and courageous battle with emphysema. Words cannot describe the final two days I spent with my grandfather… it was the most difficult yet uplifting day of my life. I felt so close to him and God and my Grandmom and felt that I really comforted him in his final hours as he comforted me so many times in my life… most remarkably when I almost didn't make it though a battle with meningitis.

I have to say that although the viewing and burial were difficult, it was still amazing. I felt close to my family and saw how many friends he had and how well loved he was and forever will be. I was so proud of Poppy as he was given full military honors during his burial. NOTHING compares to the emotion of the flag presentation, a 21 gun salute and the playing of Taps. Poppy bravely fought in World War II and the Korean War. I am so proud of him for being so brave to do that, especially since he was shot in the line of duty.

To the people who have comforted me in this difficult time… especially Katy and Kristen and my other friends, thank you. I really appreciate it. More than you will ever probably know.

This chapter, and the rest of the fic, is dedicated to my beloved Grandmom and Poppy. Their true love is a real inspiration to me not only as a writer but as a person as well.

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Lilian ducked her head, laughing as rice rained down upon the back of her head. Dave allowed her to get in the limo first, quickly ducking in behind her as Hunter threw a handful of rice at him.

Lilian shook her head, running a hand through her hair as rice showered the seat beneath them. "Aw, sweetie, you have rice in your hair," she said, reaching up and brushing some of the grains out.

"Why thank you, Mrs. Batista," Dave said with a laugh, taking her hand in his and kissing her gently.

"Mmm," Lilian replied, enjoying the feel of his lips against hers, bringing a hand up to pull him even closer to her. "I love you, Mr. Batista," she said softly once they parted.

Dave shook his head, settling back against the cool leather of the limo, looking at her for a long time. "God, Lil," he finally whispered.

"What?" Lilian asked self consciously, smoothing out her dress. "Do I look fat?"

"No," Dave laughed. "You look beautiful. The dress is just… amazing, It's better than what I ever imagined it would look like."

"Ah, so you were wondering what the dress looked like?" Lilian asked lowly, moving closer to Dave.

"Well, yeah, of course," Dave said, his breath catching slightly in his throat as he felt Lilian's hand move to his upper thigh.

"And…" Lilian whispered, swinging her legs up and over so that she was straddling Dave's hips, "Did it meet your expectations?"

"Of course," Dave said nervously. "Lil, would you please be careful?" he asked softly. "Not that I don't like your… uh, friskiness, what if we hit a bump?"

Lilian laughed softly, ducking her head so she could kiss Dave's neck. "Nothing's gonna happen, babe," she whispered.

"How do you know?" Dave asked, reluctantly reaching up and wrapping his large arms around his waist.

"Because," Lilian replied, pressing her head against his forehead as she spoke, "I'm in heaven. Nothing can ruin this day."

Dave smiled, placing his hand on the back of her neck and pulling her closely to him, kissing her gently. She kissed him back, placing her hands on his shoulders, enjoying the feeling of his lips against hers. "Ah… baby, how far was the… lodge… from the church?" he asked between kisses.

"About ten miles, I think," Lilian replied, tilting her long neck upwards as Dave kissed her throat. "Why?"

"Cause I don't want this moment to end just yet." Lilian smiled, relaxing even more so into Dave's lap.

"Neither do I. I'm just glad my dress is long."

"Why's that?"

"Cause my knees are gonna be all red after this and I don't want to explain that one to our kids!"

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"Okay, Dave, Lilian, smile nicely," the photographer said, clicking the camera for what seemed like the millionth time.

"This is fun, isn't it, babe?" Dave said, kissing Lilian on the forehead as the camera flashed again.

"Just freaking great," Lilian replied. "I think I'm going blind."

"Hey, I got an idea for a photo," Stephanie spoke up. Lilian looked at her friend warily as Stephanie said, "Relax, Lil. It's fun. All the guys should hold you."

"Well, thanks! Damn Steph, I haven't gained that much weight," Lilian said with a pout.

"I didn't mean it that way, nutsy," Stephanie said, affectionately scuffling Lilian's hair. They should hold you up like you're a queen or something!"

"Wow, Steph," Hunter said with a grin. "You have as many good ideas as your dad!"

"Hey, shut it Blondie," Stephanie said. "My dad has a lot of good ideas."

"Come on, Steph," Hunter replied, nudging Stephanie with her elbow. "Your dad wanted to put our wedding on pay-per-view."

"Aw, come on, Hunter, you know he was joking!" Stephanie exclaimed, frowning as she thought. "Well, at least I think he was…"

"On that note, guys, I think we better wrap up the photo session," Lilian said sweetly. "Baby is pressing on my bladder here."

A few moments later, the group made their way into the fancy lodge where the reception was being held. "Wow… this place is beautiful," Dahlia whispered, looking around.

"Wait till you see the ballroom, Dahlia," Lilian said happily. "I about melted when I saw it for the first time. It's perfect."

"Alright, guys, we're gonna do your introductions to the crowd now," their wedding coordinator, a nice yet pushy gentleman by the name of Michael interrupted. "Does everyone remember how we practiced," he asked nervously.

The ten people in the wedding party nodded to Michael, Dave resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the neurotic wedding coordinator's nervousness. "Okay, who's first?"

"Stephanie and I," Hunter spoke up.

Michael sighed, shaking his head as he said, "I really wish you would consider having Dahlia walk out with Hunter. Dahlia is the maid of honor, not Stephanie."

"Hey. They're married. Let them walk out together," Dave said.

"But tradition…"

"Hey! Screw tradition," Lilian said. "I'm freaking hungry here and the longer we stand here arguing, the longer it'll be for me to get food. So stop arguing and let us do this our way."

Trish snorted as Michael flushed a bright red and walked away to talk to the leader of the band that were playing for the wedding so they could do the wedding party introductions. "Nice one, Lil," Trish said, snickering.

"Well damn it, we've had this conversation about a million times already and he keeps arguing," Lilian whined.

"We know, Lilian," Lita spoke up. "You've told us a million times."

"Ah, bite me," Lilian bit back, jumping as Dave bent down and placed a hand on either side of her rounded belly. "What the heck are you doing?"

"Covering Baby's ears so they're not exposed to your sailor mouth," Dave said, smiling innocently as Lilian glared down at him. She opened her mouth to respond as the leader of the band spoke up.

"All, right, ladies and gentleman, let's get this show on the road!" the leader said. "It is now my honor to introduce you to the wedding party!"

Lilian listened as the band began playing the notes to one of her and Dave's favorite U2 songs, Beautiful Day, began playing. The lead singer spoke up, allowing only the beat to play as he said, "Please help me welcome Best Man Hunter Helmsley and Bridesmaid Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley!" The crowd cheered loudly for the couple. Once the applause died down, he introduced Dahlia and Michael, then Lita and John, and finally Trish and Randy.

Finally, after Kayla and Andrew had made their way to the spots at their table, the leader of the band held up a hand to silence his band mates. "And now…" he said dramatically, "The moment you've all been waiting for… For the first time in public, please help me to welcome, Mr. and Mrs. David Batista!"

Lilian and Dave walked out to the dance floor, Dave grinning widely and Lilian blushing deeply as the crowd stood for them, cheering them on.

"It's now time for the first dance," the lead singer said. "But Dave… Lilian has a surprise for you."

"Uh oh," Dave said good naturedly as Lilian took the microphone. "Well, you can't drop the bombshell that you're pregnant," Dave added with a chuckle.

Lilian laughed too, unconsciously rubbing a hand over her belly. "Dave… these past few years with you have been incredible. And I love you so much… and I wanted to do something today that would show how much I love you."

"That's later, Lilian," Trish called out, sending the guests into laughter.

Lilian glared playfully at Trish, then continued, "As you know, our choice for our first dance is You've Got a Way by Shania Twain."

"Yeah… I know. You debated Faith Hill's Breathe and You've Got a Way for hours, babe," Dave said with a laugh, remembering the long discussion she had with Dahlia debating the two songs.

"And little sis always gets her way," Dahlia called out from her spot, causing everyone to laugh again.

"Well, Dave… as much as we love this band and their awesome lead singer," Lilian continued, gesturing to the four men standing there grinning, "I would like to sing you our fist song as we dance to it."

Dave laughed as the band played the opening notes to the song, wrapping his arms around Lilian's waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding the microphone to her lips as she sang.

"You've got a way with me  
Somehow you got me to believe  
In everything that I could be  
I've gotta say-you really got a way

You've got a way it seems  
You gave me faith to find my dreams  
You'll never know just what that means  
Can't you see... you got a way with me

It's in the way you want me  
It's in the way you hold me  
The way you show me just what love's made of  
It's in the way we make love

You've got a way with words  
You get me smiling even when it hurts  
There's no way to measure what your love is worth  
I can't believe the way you get through to me

It's in the way you want me  
It's in the way you hold me  
The way you show me just what love's made of  
It's in the way we make love

Oh, how I adore you  
Like no one before you  
I love you just the way you are

It's in the way you want me  
It's in the way you hold me  
The way you show me just what love's made of  
It's in the way we make love

It's just the way you are."

Dave and Lilian stared at each other as Lilian sang each word, never once breaking eye contact. When she finished, Dave hugged her tightly, whispering in her ear, "I love you so much. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Lilian replied, sharing a small kiss with her husband as everyone clapped. They finally broke apart, grinning at the guests as Lilian proclaimed, "Okay, let's get this party started!"

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End 3.3

Thanks to Katy and K with the help on my first dance dilemma… let me just say that Shania's song was not the one I started out with!


	15. Till Death Do Us Part 4

Thank you to everyone who sent their sympathies and prayers for Poppy. Everyday becomes a little easier thanks to all of you! I still feel like I'm getting back into my writing groove, so I apologize if this chapter is not the greatest. God Bless, and once again, thank you so much!

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Lilian sighed, rolling her neck as she glanced at the time on Dave's watch. It was now 11:30 p.m., half an hour away from the New Year. The cake had been cut, the garter and bouquet thrown, and all the traditional wedding things had been done. She reached over, taking Dave's hand in hers as he talked with Hunter. He glanced at her, smiling gently as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"You okay, Sugar?" Dave asked, concerned, turning away from Hunter and wrapping an arm around Lilian's shoulders.

"Besides the fact I still have cake icing up my nose," Lilian said, referring to the fact Dave had shoved wedding cake in her face despite her being nice enough not to shove it in his face. "Seriously, Dave, I'm fine… just getting a little sleepy."

"Aw, poor Sugar," Dave said, kissing her forehead. "You don't have that much longer till the New Year. Just hang in there!"

"I know," Lilian said with a sigh. "I'm hanging in there. But barely!"

"You know, babe, I know the perfect way to keep you awake," Dave said with a grin.

"Dave, we are NOT having sex in the bathroom," Lilian hissed. She nearly laughed at the taken aback look on his face, adding, "I take it that's not what you had in mind?"

"Uh, no," Dave said, blushing deeply as Lilian giggled despite herself. "Come on, I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Lilian asked, allowing Dave to pull her up and unto the dance floor. "What is it?"

"Now, Sugar, if I told you it wouldn't be a surprise," Dave teased, guiding Lilian towards the band. The lead singer winked at Dave, finishing up the song he was singing.

"Alright, folks, I need a little break from singing, but Dave here has a surprise for Lilian," the singer said, handing the microphone to Dave.

"Thanks, buddy," Dave said with a grin, accepting the microphone. "Hunter, if you don't mind?" he asked, and Lilian turned her head to see the leader of Evolution bringing a chair to the center of the dance floor, a wide grin on his face.

"Dave, what are you doing?" Lilian asked nervously, allowing him to lead her to the chair, settling down when he gently pushed her shoulders.

Dave took her hand, smiling down at his wife. "Lilian, babe… earlier, you sang for me."

"Yeah?" Lilian said, a bit wary as she looked up at her husband.

"Now I'd like to return the favor… well, at least try to," Dave said with a laugh, nodding toward the band. Lilian laughed with delight when the band started playing one of her favorite songs, 'The Best is Yet to Come.' With a nervous look her way, Dave took her hand in his and started singing into the microphone, encouraged by the audience clapping to the beat of the song.

"Out of the tree of life I just picked me a plum  
You came along and everything started to hum  
Still it's a real good bet the best is yet to come.

The best is yet to come and, babe, won't it be fine?  
You think you've seen the sun but you ain't seen it shine

Wait till the warm-up's underway  
Wait till our lips have met  
Wait till you see that sunshine day  
You ain't seen nothin' yet!

The best is yet to come and, babe, won't it be fine?  
The best is yet to come, come the day you're mine

Come the day you're mine, I'm gonna teach you to fly  
We're gonna taste of the wine  
We're gonna drain the cup dry  
Wait till your charms are right for these arms to surround  
You think you've flown before but you ain't left the ground

Wait till you're locked in my embrace  
Wait till I draw you near  
Wait till you see that sunshine place  
Ain't nothin' like it here!

The best is yet to come and, babe, won't it be fine  
The best is yet to come, come the day you're mine!"

Lilian stood, clapping along with the other guests as Dave nervously wiped his brow. "Baby, that was wonderful!" Lilian squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck as everyone in the company cheered. She pulled away and took his wrist, raising his arm in victory, the two posing for everyone as if Dave had just won the WWE championship.

"Dave, you did a great job singing," Ric said as the couple made their way back to the head table, a large television in the corner now broadcasting the live events in Times Square as Dick Clark counted down the final minutes of 2004. "I mean, who knew you could sing so well?"

"Yeah, Lil, are you gonna do a duet with Dave on your album?" Trish asked with a drunken laugh, leaning across Lita to ask her question.

Dave smiled nervously, looking at Lilian, choosing to answer for her. "Well, Trish, I would love that, but there's just one problem with that."

"What's that?"

"Yeah, what's that?" Lilian repeated, glancing at Dave.

"We want your album to be good!"

"Aw stop it, baby," Lilian said with another giggle. "You did a great job!"

"You're just teasing me," Dave said with a pout, his frown turning to a grin when Lilian leaned up and kissed him. "I love you," Dave whispered, stroking Lilian's cheek.

"I love you too."

"Okay, folks, if Mr. Clark is right, there are only three minutes left in 2004," the lead singer said. "So grab your partners, girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands, wives, or whoever and let's ring in 2005!"

Lilian allowed Dave to pull her in front of the television, accepting a champagne glass filled with orange juice for herself and handing Dave a glass of champagne.

"So, Sugar, are you going to miss 2004?" Dave asked Lilian as he took his glass from her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"In a way, yes," Lilian admitted, snuggling closer to Dave's hips. "But it ended with a bang." "

"We can start it with a bang, too," Dave whispered suggestively, not surprised when Lilian playfully slapped his chest at the sexual innuendo before continuing.

"I can only imagine what 2005 will bring us… well besides moving and settling into our new house and the birth of our baby girl!"

Dave froze, looking down at Lilian, his mouth slightly opened. "We're having a girl?" he asked softly, ignoring all the noise around them as their wedding guests began loudly counting down from thirty.

"Shit, Dave," Lilian said, placing a hand on her forehead. "I'm sorry. I wanted to surprise you-"

"Babe, it's okay," Dave said with a laugh, placing a gently hand on her rounded belly. "My little angel."

"Angel?" Lilian asked indignantly, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, angels!" Dave replied, cupping his hand behind her neck and kissing her softly as the ball in Times Square dropped all the way, the year 2005 officially there.

The band began playing Auld Lang Syne, all of the guests kissing their respective partners. Randy moved slowly to Trish, who was watching the action, pulling her to him and kissing her gently. When they parted, Trish simply stared in shock for a few seconds. "I'm sorry," Randy stammered, moving away from Trish.

Trish grabbed his arm, pulling him closely. "I'm not," Trish replied before kissing him back.

Lilian and Dave separated, Dave brushing a lock of hair out of Lilian's eyes. "You're beautiful," Dave told her.

"Thank you," Lilian said with a blush. "So tell me, Davis, what's your New Year's resolution?"

"To be the best possible husband and father possible," Dave replied without hesitating. "What about you?"

"To be the best possible wife and mother possible," Lilian said simply. "And don't say I'm copying because that's been my resolution since a week ago."

"Well, it's a good one," Dave said. "And I will keep my resolution. I promise."

Lilian nodded, kissing him again gently before saying, "I know."

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End Part 3.4


	16. Till Death Do Us Part 5

As usual, I heart reviews!

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Lilian and Dave sat next to each other on the plane, holding each other's hands as the plane taxied off towards the sky, their next stop Aruba for a weeklong honeymoon courtesy of the McMahon family. Lilian and Dave had been surprised before Raw the week before when Vince, Linda, Shane, and Stephanie had come up to them and handed the pair an envelope with all the papers and documents necessary for them to take the trip.

After a few moments, the plane leveled and the sign indicating that seatbelts could be removed came on. Lilian sighed as she took her seatbelt off, reaching down into her carry on bag so she could pull out her digital camera.

"Aw, please tell me that you're not going to take a million pictures of our honeymoon," Dave whined playfully.

"Aw, shut up you big baboon. You know how much I love making scrapbooks," Lilian said with a grin. "Besides, I'm not gonna take pictures right now."

"Then what's the camera for?" Dave asked warily, watching as Lilian turned it on.

"I had Torrie take a few pictures of the ceremony and reception," Lilian said, pushing buttons until she was at the spot where she could review pictures. "I figured we could look at the pictures while we're on the flight."

"A few pictures?" Dave asked skeptically when he saw the photo count was one out of 244.

Lilian shrugged sheepishly. "What can I say, I handed the camera to the wrong person," she said with a grin. "But think of all the good pictures I'll have for my scrapbook!"

Dave shook his head as they began looking at the photos, flipping through the ones of Lilian getting ready for the wedding before arriving at the pictures of the actual ceremony. "Look at this picture, Randy looks so excited to be in my wedding," Dave said with a laugh, noting the fact that in that particular picture, the young man looked as if he had just rolled out of bed. "Lita looks petrified," Dave noted when they came to a picture of the redhead, Lilian making a note to herself that she would have to ask the redhead about that picture.

"God, my butt looks big here," Lilian noted when they came to the picture where Lilian and Ric were walking down the aisle, Torrie having taken the picture when Lilian and Ric were right next to her.

"Aw, I love your big butt," Dave teased her, kissing her cheek gently.

"Well, thanks," Lilian said sarcastically, nudging him with her elbow. "Just to let you know, David, when I say my butt looks big, you chime in with, 'No, babe, your ass is fine!'"

"Oh, okay, check," Dave said, smacking his forehead and pretending to make a note on an imaginary checklist. "When wife makes comment about sexy caboose being huge, deny that it is. I can handle that."

Lilian giggled, saying as she smirked, "Make sure you add to that list that 'Wife is the boss, no matter what husband thinks.'"

"Oh, sweetie, you're killing me," Dave said dramatically. "There's so many rules to remember!"

"Eh, just remember that I'm in charge and you'll be fine," Lilian teased, flipping to a picture of them exchanging their wedding vows. "Aw, look, babe, you look like you're about to cry!"

"Okay, we won't be printing that one," Dave said, pushing to the next picture. "Speaking of people who look like they are about to cry."

"Hey, shut it," Lilian replied. "I'm pregnant. I'm supposed to be emotional."

"You're always emotional!" Dave exclaimed, chuckling at the indignant look on Lilian's face. "Oh, need I remind you about the time you made me watch Beauty and the Beast with you?"

"I can't help it! It's a sad ending," Lilian defended.

"And Nemo? Forget it. You lose it as soon as you see Marlo and Doris running toward that little fish at the end."

"First of all, it's Marlin and Dory. Second of all, fish do not run. They swim." With a sniff, Lilian turned to the next picture, both of them laughing when they saw the less than thrilled look on Stephanie's face as she walked down the aisle with Dave's brother.

"I'm sure it's nothing personal, but Steph looks like she is about to kill someone," Dave pointed out.

"Yeah… I think she wants to be with Hunter," Lilian agreed, flipping through a few pictures until she arrived at one of Kayla smiling for the camera. "Aw. Dave, I love your niece, but she wouldn't walk up the aisle at first."

"Are you serious?" Dave asked, covering his mouth to hide the smile. "Oh, Lord, that kid is a brat."

"Tell me about it. Our kids will not be brats, I will tell you that," Lilian said, giggling like a little kid when she came to a picture of them dancing. "I like this picture."

"Me too," Dave agreed, looking at the picture for a long time. "Then again, I like any picture that has you in it."

"Aw, I should call you Maple Tree cause you are so sappy," Lilian said with a smile. "This one is cute," she pointed out, seeing Stephanie and Dahlia dragging a protesting Trish on the floor to try to catch the bouquet. She shook her head as they arrived at the next picture, which had a horrified Trish holding the bouquet.

"Oh, sweetie, here's the cutting of the cake," Dave said, snickering slightly.

"Yeah, that's before you shoved cake up my nose," Lilian grumbled playfully.

"Aw, did you get it all out?"

"I don't know, next time I sneeze I'll let you know," Lilian replied good-naturedly.

"That's just gross, Lil," Dave answered with a shake of his head. "Oh, Lord. Torrie took a picture of me singing to you."

"Oh, God, Dave. I do not mean to look so terrified here!" Lilian exclaimed, covering her mouth, staring at the picture in which she had a skeptical look on her face as Dave sang to her.

"Uh huh. Sure," Dave said, wiping his eyes dramatically. "You just don't like my singing!"

"Yes I do!" Lilian replied, nudging him with her elbow. "I was just…"

"Horrified?"

"No, you big ape! Surprised."

"Oh, okay," Dave replied, watching as she flipped through the pictures, stopping on the last picture, which was one of the two of them kissing at midnight. "That will be good for the last page of our scrapbook," Dave commented.

"Oh, are you going to help me with the scrapbook?" Lilian asked hopefully.

"We'll see," Dave replied, though his tone clearly indicated that he was not going to be helping her.

"Uh huh," Lilian nodded with a shake of her head. "That means no, right?"

"Exactly." Lilian shut off her camera, reaching down to put it into her carry on bag. With a sigh and a stifled yawn, she rubbed her swollen stomach. "How's Angel?" he asked, running a hand over her stomach as well, stopping to cover her hand with his.

"She's fine," Lilian said. "Tired."

"Aw, now is Angel tired, or is Mommy tired?"

"Both. I think," Lilian admitted.

"Well, I'll tell you what. Mommy and Angel should lean against Daddy here and take a little nap. How does that sound?"

"I'd like that," Lilian replied softly, snuggling up to him as close as possible. "I love you, Mr. Batista."

"And I love you, Mrs. Batista," Dave replied, kissing her temple and wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer to him. Dave simply sat there, listening as Lilian's breathing evened out.

As he watched her sleep for a few moments, he couldn't help but think of the song he sang to her.

"Yes, Lilian, the best is yet to come," he whispered, closing his eyes before falling asleep himself.

----------------

End Part 3.5

End Till Death Do Us Part

Next Part: And Baby Makes Three


	17. And Baby Makes Three 1

"Lilian Anne Batista, would you put that box down?"

"Yeah, Lilian, what the heck are you thinking? Dave is going to kill you!"

"Trish, Steph, it's just three pounds, if that!"

"What's three pounds?"

"The box Lilian is carrying."

"What box?"

Lilian smacked her forehead, shaking her head at the same time. "Looks like I'm busted," she said wryly. "Look, guys, I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine."

"Lilian, please," Dave started, taking the box from her, "Please don't strain yourself. There are plenty of people here to work and bring in the boxes."

"But Dave-" Lilian started, sending a glare over to Stephanie and Trish who were leaning in a doorway,

"Don't 'but, Dave' me, missy," Dave said to his wife, tapping her on the nose affectionately as he mocked her whiny tone. "I want everything to be okay with Angel, okay?"

"Okay, Dave… but I hate feeling useless," Lilian said with a pout. "Isn't there anything I can do without getting in trouble?"

"Um," Dave thought aloud, trying to think of a way to tactfully suggest she just sit there and watch the action going on in her house.

"And don't even tell me I can sit there and relax," Lilian warned, knowing that was what he was getting ready to suggest.

"Of course not, sweetie," Dave lied. "How about you make a list of things that we need for Baby's room?"

Lilian's eyes lit up slightly as she thought about the possible ways to decorate the baby's room. "That's a good idea, Dave," Lilian admitted, settling down on the soft couch.

"Ah, you know, I'm good for some things," Dave said with a shrug.

"Shut up, Dave," Lilian said with a shake of her head, laughing as he turned away, heading away from the room to unload some more boxes. "Oh, don't forget we have Lamaze class later this afternoon!"

Dave froze, glaring at Trish and Stephanie as they started snickering. "I remembered, sweetie," Dave told her with a tight smile, whipping around to give Stephanie and Trish another nasty look. "Do you two mind telling me what is so damned funny?" he asked, blushing.

"It's nothing," Trish said, snorting loudly as she covered her mouth.

"Obviously, it's something if you're giggling," Lilian pointed out, bemused.

"It's just… I'm having this image of Dave doing the Mr. Belding breathing from Saved by the Bell," Trish said, laughing loudly.

"Oh, God! He he he who… he he he who," Lilian gasped, imitating Mr. Belding's breathing and giggling loudly as she watched Stephanie grabbing Trish's arm to hold herself up.

"Just don't give birth to the baby in an elevator!" Stephanie exclaimed, laughing loudly. "It would probably be the first time someone laughed while giving birth!"

Dave simply shook his head, looking between the three laughing females for a moment before turning and walking out of the room. "You girls are nuts," he muttered, going off to find Randy, Ric, and Hunter.

-----------

Lilian and Dave walked to the suite where they're Lamaze class was being held. Dave glanced at Lilian when she started giggling. "What's so funny, Sugar?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She just continued to giggle, and Dave asked, "Having images of me breathing like Mr. Belding again?" When she laughed harder, he simply shook his head again.

They entered the room together, Dave holding the door open for Lilian as she ducked under his arm. "Hello," a woman at the front desk greeted them with a warm smile. "Mr. and Mrs. Batista?"

"Yes, ma'am," Lilian said shyly, taking Dave's hand as she glanced around the room, seeing several posters and baby related materials.

"Okay, if you want to take a seat, class will be starting in ten minutes or so. Please feel free to speak to other expectant parents. There are a few couples here who already have children but the majority of the couples here are first time parents. We often find that talking amongst your peers may help ease some anxiety you have about the Lamaze classes," the lady said, smiling kindly at a nervous Lilian, who was clinging to Dave's hand like a scared child.

"Okay, thank you," Dave said, gently guiding Lilian away from a table and to a chair. "Are you okay, sweetie?" he asked, concerned as he watched as Lilian's eyes dart across the room, the green orbs taking in every poster and doll in the room.

"Yeah… I think so," Lilian said slowly. "I just… I'm a little overwhelmed, that's all."

"I can understand that," Dave said with a slight grin, settling down next to her and squeezing her hand. "I'm nervous too."

"Really? How come?"

"Cause I know the second I start doing the deep breathing you're going to lose it and I'm gonna be the one explaining your obsession with Saved by the Bell," Dave said with a small smirk, relieved when Lilian started giggling.

"Dave! I can't help it… just the idea of you concentrating on breathing makes me laugh!" Lilian said, placing a hand over her swollen belly.

"Um, hello," a timid female voice spoke up, and Lilian looked up to see two young couples standing in front of them nervously.

"Hello," Lilian replied, struggling to stand up.

"No, please, don't," the other female said, holding her hand up to stop Lilian. "Um, we just wanted to introduce ourselves and tell you two how big of fans we are."

"I'm Susan, and this is my husband Michael," one of the women said, gesturing to the gentleman who was standing next to her.

"And I'm Kristen. This is my husband John," the other female filled in.

"I'm Lilian, and this is my husband Dave," Lilian said. "But I have a feeling you already know that."

"Mrs. Garcia… uh, Batista, we are huge fans," Michael added. "I drag my wife out to the shows every time the WWE comes to Washington."

"Yeah, I haven't missed a DC show since 1992," John added quietly.

"Oh, really?" Dave asked, stepping aside to talk to the two men.

"So, is this your first child?" Lilian asked the two ladies.

"No, this is my second," Susan replied. "I gave birth to a son, Michael Jr., two years ago."

"This is my first child, too," Kristen said with a shy grin. "See, Lilian and I have something in common," she said to her friend.

"Hey, don't brag," Susan shot back, running a hand over her stomach. "When are you due, Mrs. Batista?"

"Please, call me Lilian," Lilian said. "Mrs. Batista makes me feel old."

"Okay, Lilian," Susan said with a shrug.

"I'm due April 10th," Lilian answered. "How about you two?"

"We're actually both due May 19th," Kristen replied with a slight laugh. "She always has to copy me," the younger woman said.

"Hey, shush," Susan chastised her friend.

"How old are you gals?" Lilian asked curiously.

"I'm 25, and Susan is 30," Kristen replied for her friend. "We-"

"All right, ladies and gentleman," the Lamaze director said before Kristen could finish her sentence. "How about we get started?" She waited until all the couples had settled down. "My name is Katy Johnson. Tonight, we begin the first Lamaze session. For all of the first time parents, welcome. In this class, you can expect many things that will help you prepare for the birth of your baby. For example, you can expect to see videos of childbirth, how to be active and informed during childbirth, ways to focus on your breathing, ways for the gentlemen to help the ladies focus on their breathing," Katy said, not noticing that Lilian suddenly had a wide smile on her face and Dave was shaking his head, "Possible complications during birth, early interaction with your babies, breastfeeding, and emergency methods when it comes to babies."

"We always begin the first session by having everyone introduce themselves, even though it is guaranteed that no one will remember names," Katy continued with a smile. "So, it you want to state your names, occupations, number of kids, whatever you want to talk about, please go ahead."

Once introductions were made, Katy put in a fairly long video about childbirth. "Oh, gag," Dave muttered, resisting the urge to turn his head when the video showed the woman actually giving birth. "Lil, please tell me you don't want to have your birth videotaped," he whispered, squeezing her hand gently.

"Let's put it this way," Lilian whispered back. "If you even think of bringing a camera of any sorts into the delivery room, I will kill you."

"Completely understood, ma'am," Dave replied softly, saluting her sarcastically yet lovingly.

"Okay, that's it for tonight," Katy spoke up, stopping the tape when the credits began rolling. "Our next meeting is Thursday night at the same time. I sincerely suggest that you exchange numbers with some of your peers," the young teacher suggested as all the couples stood up. "It is good to build a support group, especially with the new parents. You may find that parents with one child can be very helpful in the childbirth process."

"So, do you want to meet for lunch sometime?" Lilian asked Susan and Kristen, pulling out her cell phone so she could program their names into the phone.

"Absolutely!" Kristen exclaimed, looking as if she was going to faint at the prospect of eating lunch with Lilian.

"Absolutely," Susan added, pulling her own phone out.

After numbers had been exchanged, Lilian and Dave left the suite, tired but elated. "So, what did you think?" Dave asked Lilian, taking her hand in his.

"I think these classes, along with the pregnancy, will be a breeze," Lilian replied, standing on her toes so she could kiss him on the cheek as they waited for the elevator.

"Absolutely. Nothing but a breeze," Dave agreed.

"Yeah…" Lilian trailed off, glancing up at her husband. "Um, Dave?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Would you mind stopping at Dairy Queen on the way home?"

"Absolutely not," Dave replied with a confused smile, guiding Lilian into the empty elevator when the doors quietly slid open. "Why would I mind?"

"I don't know," Lilian answered with a sigh. "I just feel like I ask so much of you."

"Hey," Dave said, cupping her cheek with his hand, gently forcing his tiny wife to look at him. "Lilian. You will never ask too much of me. I never want you to feel that way. Okay?" he said softly.

"Okay," Lilian repeated, laying her head against his chest. "I love you do much. I don't know what I did to deserve you."

Dave shrugged, pulling the small blonde close to him, running a hand over her swollen belly. "I love you so much, Lilian. Nothing can ever change that, and I hope you know that."

"I know."

----------

End Part 4.1


	18. And Baby Makes Three 2

Warning... pure silliness ahead!

------------

Lilian frowned slightly, looking at the dress and shoes she was supposed to wear for Raw tonight… her Raw for the last time in awhile as she was preparing for her maternity leave.

"Hey, baby, are you okay?" Dave asked, seeing the down look on Lilian's face as he walked into the main area of their hotel room, drying his hair after a quick shower.

"Yeah… I guess so."

Dave frowned, following her gaze as she glanced at the dress yet again. "Did your wardrobe do something to upset you?"

Lilian glanced at him, a confused look on her face as she looked at Dave. "What?"

"Well, you're giving that dress an awfully dirty look," Dave pointed out, wrapping an arm across her shoulders. "So spill it."

Lilian sighed, shaking her head slightly. "I… it's stupid, Dave," she replied softly, turning her head away. "I just… that dress is gonna make me feel fat."

Dave chuckled, shaking his head. "Sweetie, you're six and a half months pregnant, you're supposed to be fat!" Lilian turned her head, the fierce look in her eyes immediately telling Dave he said the wrong thing. "Uh… not that you are fat… I mean, Lil, you're pregnant, of course you gained a little weight…" he stammered, trying to figure how to get himself out of the hole he was rapidly digging, "But you're not fat… not at all. You're just… uh…"

"Fat," Lilian supplied, crossing her arms across her chest. "There is no way I am wearing that dress tonight because everyone will be calling me fat!"

"Lil, come on, honey! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings!" Dave said pleadingly. "Come on, what can I do to make it up to you?"

Lilian grabbed her winter jacket, throwing Dave's at him as well, the big man easily catching it. "You can drive me to that maternity store we drove by on the way to the hotel so I can buy a new dress for the show tonight so I won't be so fat looking."

"Sweetie, is this really necessary?" Dave asked with a sigh, holding his coat loosely in his fingers as he watched Lilian paw through her wallet to find her credit card.

"Yes!" she all but growled, glaring at Dave.

"Okay, okay," Dave said, shrugging his coat on. "Damn pregnant woman hormones," he muttered as he did so.

"What was that, David?"

"Nothing, sweetie. Not a thing."

--------------

Dave sat quietly, watching as Lilian left the maternity store triumphantly carrying two bags to the car. He watched as she opened the back door, hanging one of the bags on the handle by the door and carrying the other bag with her as she sat in the front next to Dave.

"Uh, sweetie, how many outfits did you buy?" Dave asked cautiously, taking in the sly smile Lilian was sporting.

"Just one," Lilian said smugly.

"Then… uh, why do you have two bags?" he continued warily. Lilian smirked, taking the item out of the bag. Dave frowned, looking at the package she was holding up. "A pregnancy suit?"

"Yes, Dave. A pregnancy suit."

"Uh… what's that for?"

"Well, see, I told the nice ladies in there that you called me fat-"

"Lilian, I didn't mean it that way!"

"-and they suggested that I buy this for you to wear so you know what it feels like to be carrying around an extra twenty pounds that you're not used to."

Dave blushed deeply, shaking his head. "Lilian, if you think I am wearing that thing…"

"Oh, you will wear it, David," Lilian said sweetly. "Because I'm challenging you to a bet."

"What kind of bet?" Dave asked skeptically, glancing between his wife and the pregnancy suit.

"I bet you that you can't wear the suit all night during Raw," Lilian said, crossing her arms across her chest.

"First of all, I have a match scheduled tonight and I'm sure that Vince won't like it if I'm wrestling with a pregnancy suit on," Dave pointed out. "Second of all, how will you know if I kept it on all night?"

Lilian rolled her eyes, staring at her husband for a long time before replying. "Of course you can take it off before you come out and wrestle. Second, I'll make sure that Trish and Lita and Steph keep an eye on you call night," she said smugly.

"I don't believe this," Dave stammered, shaking his head at the triumphant look on Lilian's face. "What's in it for me?"

"Well… how about the winner gets to choose the baby's name? Within reason, of course."

Dave thought for a second, glancing between the pregnancy suit and Lilian. "Okay, it's a deal," he finally said, inwardly cringing at the jokes he knew were going to fly the second anyone saw him in that suit.

Lilian grinned evilly, pulling the suit out of the package. "Good. Now put it on."

"Now?" Dave sputtered, his mouth dropping.

"Yes, now," Lilian mimicked, handing him the suit and laughing at the incredulous look on his face. "I'm making the rules of this bet, so put it on now."

Dave shook his head, accepting the suit and stepping out of the car so he could shed his shirt and put the suit on. "I don't believe this shit," he muttered, quickly pulling his shirt back over his head, stretching the material as far as possible over the lump now covering his stomach. He quickly got back in the car, looking over at Lilian as she giggled maniacally. "Lily… I feel ridiculous."

She merely continued giggling, managing to say, "Perfect!" Dave sighed, starting the car and heading toward the arena.

-----------

Lilian laughed as Dave walked miserably next to her, his arms crossed over his stomach, trying to hide the fact that he, along with his wife, too looked six and a half months pregnant. "Lilian, I feel ridiculous," Dave hissed, unsuccessfully ignoring the fact that several stagehands were looking at him funny. "I can't do this."

"Hmm… I'm sure little Shaniqua Batista will enjoy her life growing up with a name like that," Lilian replied, shaking her head sorrowfully.

Dave glared down at her when she started laughing again. "Lilian Anne, there is no way you are naming my daughter Shaniqua," Dave warned. Shaking his head and forcing a smile towards a group of lower card wrestlers who started laughing hysterically at the sight of the couple, Dave looked down at Lilian's swollen belly. "You better appreciate this some day, kiddo," Dave told her stomach, briefly running a hand over the bump.

"Stop pouting. You'll get wrinkles," Lilian said with a smirk. "Besides, you can relax. We're at Evolution's locker room."

"Oh, that really makes me relax," Dave said sarcastically, opening the door to allow Lilian to enter ahead of him.

"Hey, Lil, Dave," Hunter said, looking over the top of the newspaper he was reading, his eyes widening as Dave sheepishly followed her in the room.

"Whoa… uh, Dave, is there something you need to tell us?" Ric asked, noticing Dave's 'pregnancy' at the same time as Hunter.

"Dude, you got fat all of a sudden," Randy said, covering his mouth with his hand as he started snickering.

"Uh… trust me when I tell you to never use the term 'fat' around a pregnant woman, Randy," Dave said, blushing deeply as Hunter took a picture of Dave in his pregnancy suit. "And if anyone ever sees that picture, I will personally kill you, Hunter."

"Uh huh, sure," Hunter teased. "You may hurt the baby."

Ric snorted at this, glancing at Lilian who was smiling triumphantly. "Let me guess… he said something wrong?"

"How did you know?" Lilian asked, surprised as she looked at the older man.

"Honey, I have three kids," Ric replied, affectionately ruffling the little blonde's hair. "I've worn a pregnancy suit before."

"Oh, did you ever wear it in front of your peers?" Dave asked hopefully, unconsciously running a hand over his stomach.

"Hell no!" Ric exclaimed. "Are you kidding me?"

Lilian snickered, smiling sweetly at Dave as she took the new dress he was holding from him. "I need to go change," Lilian said with a smile. "I'll be back soon. You'll let me know if he takes it off, right boys?"

"Oh, of course. I'd be glad to," Hunter replied, winking at Lilian.

"Good," the blonde replied. "I'll be back in a few."

After she left, Dave immediately made a move to tug off his shirt. "Whoa, what are you doing?" Randy asked.

"I'm getting this stupid fat suit off," Dave muttered, pulling his shirt over his head.

"Uh, uh, uh," Hunter teased, shaking his finger at the big man. "You heard Lilian."

"Hunter, you can't possibly be siding with her here," Dave asked desperately.

"Yes, I am… After all, I think it's quite funny."

"But… can't you just vouch for me? Say I wore it all night?"

"I don't think so. I've seen Lilian mad and I don't want that Latina temper turned on me."

Dave groaned, throwing his shirt over his shoulder and glaring down at his pregnant stomach. "This sucks."

"Hey, man, you want to take that thing off for a second?" Randy asked.

"You heard Hunter. He'll rat me out," Dave said, glaring at his older friend briefly before turning back to Randy.

"Can I try it on real quick?" Randy asked. "What?" he asked indignantly when his three Evolution teammates gave him a collective look. "I've always wondered what it's like to be pregnant."

"Dude, get a sex change then," Ric muttered, shaking his head at the youngest member.

"No… seriously. I wonder what women go through when they're pregnant," Randy admitted. "Quit giving me weird looks!" he exclaimed indignantly. "So can I try it on or not?"

"Well, Hunter's gonna rat me out," Dave said, looking at the leader of Evolution.

"Mmm… I think as long as I get a picture of Randy in the fat suit, Lilian doesn't have to know about this little moment," Hunter answered slowly.

"Deal," Dave said, shedding the pregnancy suit quickly and handing it to Randy. "Just hurry up. I don't want Lilian to walk in with me not having it on cause I will never hear the end of it."

"Okay," Randy said, ignoring Ric's hysterical laughing as he put on the pregnancy suit and pulled on a t-shirt as well. "Wow… this feels weird," Randy said slowly, placing his hands on his stomach. "I really feel like I'm pregnant! Do I look it?" he asked, turning to the side so they could see a side view as well.

"Yeah, you do," Hunter agreed, taking a picture of Randy. "Pose pretty!"

Randy struck a pose, looking as if he were a backup dancer for Madonna's Vogue video. It was at this moment that Lilian pushed the door open, Trish and Stephanie right behind her.

"Oh, my God!" Trish said, covering her mouth with her hand, but not in time for a loud giggle to escape.

"What in the world is going on here?" Stephanie asked, looking between her husband and Randy, who was now quickly trying to pull the pregnancy suit off.

"Um…" Hunter muttered, blushing deeply as he hid the camera behind his back. "Nothing."

"Oh, I SO won the bet," Lilian cried with a laugh. "You lost… after half an hour! That's sad, Dave."

"Please, Lily, give me another chance!" Dave said pleadingly, ignoring the fact that Trish was literally rolling around on the floor laughing. "Randy and Hunter put me up to it."

Lilian thought for a moment before looking at her husband. "Okay, I'll give you a second chance. But as long as I get a picture of Randy in the pregnancy suit," she finally relented.

"Okay," Dave replied, relieved. "Thank you," he added, kissing her forehead before taking the pregnancy suit back from a blushing Randy Orton.

The room as silent for a moment, before Stephanie spoke up again. "Could someone please explain to me what in the world is going on?"

----------

Lilian sighed, forcing the tears out of her eyes as she watched Chris Jericho and Rob Van Dam walk to the back after their match after the cameras stopped rolling. There was no post Raw dark match scheduled, meaning that this was really her last few moments with the fans before she took a six month maternity leave. She stood, carefully making her way up the steps so she could stand at the top and face the crowd. "Alright, guys," she began, bringing the microphone to her lips.

"As you all can tell, I am pregnant. And I'm telling you guys tonight that tonight will be my last show for awhile." She paused, laughing at the disappointed boos from the men in the crowd. "But I would like to thank you all here in Philly for making it a truly special night!"

The crowd cheered, the cheers quickly turning into a chant of, "Please don't go!" Lilian laughed, shaking her head as she brought the microphone to her lips again.

"I promise I'll be back," Lilian told them. "So for now, thank you and have a safe trip-"

Her sentence was cut off when Dave's music hit, and she turned slowly, holding the top rope of the ring for balance as she looked at the ramp, confused. She glanced at Mike Chioda, trying to figure out what was going on as the senior referee held open the ropes and gestured for the little blonde to enter and meet her husband in the ring.

Well… not just her grinning-from-ear-to-ear-despite-being-in-a-pregnancy-suit-in-front-of-thousands-of-fans husband… Hunter, Stephanie, Ric, Randy, Trish, Molly, Victoria, Gail, Ivory, Shelton, Chris Jericho, Rob Van Dam, Shane, Vince and Linda McMahon followed behind him, all entering the ring, Trish and Molly holding a large cake together.

Dave took the microphone, smiling down at his confused wife. "Well, surprise, baby," Dave told her with a laugh.

"Dave, what's going on?" Lilian asked, the microphone barely picking up her question.

"Well Lily, being as how it is your last show for awhile," Dave said, "We wanted to give you a proper sendoff."

"You didn't have to do that," Lilian protested, tears forming in her eyes at the nice gesture from her friends and colleagues.

"We wanted to," Vince spoke up with a small smile. "So congratulations, Lilian! We wish you the best and can't wait to see you back here in the ring!"

"Thank you," Lilian said with a grin, wiping away tears as she watched Trish and Molly begin cutting the cake. "I really appreciate it and can't wait to come back!"

The crowd cheered, silencing briefly when Dave spoke up again. "Oh… by the way, Lily?"

"Yeah?"

"Looks like I won the bet."

----------

End part 4.2


	19. And Baby Makes Three 3

Lilian sighed, rubbing her swollen stomach as she sat at the couch of hers and Dave's house, watching a Golden Girls marathon, the fireplace burning brightly, warming Lilian's chilled skin in the mid-February winter...

She was bored out of her mind, but quite frankly, she didn't have the strength to do anything.

"Hey, baby," Dave said as he walked into the living room, frowning when he saw the somewhat bored and uncomfortable look on his wife's face. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" Lilian asked, not really comprehending what he asked.

"You okay?" he asked again, settling down next to her and taking her cold hand in his.

Lilian nodded, smiling tiredly at Dave. "Yeah… I'm just a little tired. And bored. I miss jogging and skating so much."

"I know, Sugar. But think of it this way… you are already 33 weeks along. Not too much longer, right?" Dave said supportively, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"I guess so," Lilian replied with a shrug of her shoulders, burrowing even further underneath the blanket she was sitting under.

Dave nodded slowly, not understanding why his wife seemed to be so down. Remembering why he came in the room in the first place, Dave brightly asked, "Hey, why don't we go visit my mom? We haven't seen her in awhile and I'm sure she wouldn't mind having us over."

Lilian sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Dave, I love your mom to death but I honestly don't think I can move right now," Lilian said, running a hand over her stomach again.

"Why? Is something wrong?" Dave asked, slightly alarmed.

"No," Lilian replied with a mirthless laugh. "I'm just tired."

"Oh," Dave said, relieved that it was nothing serious. "Lil, come one. I really don't want you to sit here all sad while I go out. So would you please come with me to visit Mom?"

Lilian rolled her eyes at her husband's insistence. "Fine, Dave, I'll come with you," she finally relented. "But can we please make it short? I'm sorry, but I really don't want to be around people today," she added apologetically.

"Of course," Dave replied, kissing her gently before helping Lilian to stand. "You go get dressed and I'll put out the fire."

"Okay," Lilian agreed, walking slowly to the bedroom.

----------

By the time the visit was over, Lilian was glad to have visited Dave's mother. After having a huge mug of her homemade hot chocolate, the little blonde felt a lot warmer and better than she had in a long time. Now, she was riding back with Lilian and Dave to have dinner and look at the just-finished baby's room, at Dave's insistence.

Lilian nearly rolled her eyes at the pride in Dave's voice when he mentioned the baby's room. The room _was _beautiful, Lilian gave that to him… an adorable theme of Noah's Ark and pink, all furnished with gorgeous oak furniture that Lilian had fallen in love with. However, Dave's wanting to show every visitor who walked in the house the room was becoming somewhat tiresome; however, she knew that Dave worked very hard on the room and deserved to show off his handy work.

Lilian closed her eyes as they rode down the road, only opening them when Dave's mom placed a hand on her shoulder. "So, dear, are you ready for the baby to come?" she asked.

"Oh, Mom, I really cannot wait," Lilian replied. "I love carrying her, but she's killing my back."

"How much weight have you gained?" Dave's mom asked.

"Only nineteen pounds," Lilian replied with a sigh. "Apparently, I'm not gaining enough weight."

"Well, you were underweight before the pregnancy, dear," Dave's mom pointed out.

"Yeah, I know," Lilian said. "But my doctor told me I should be at 137 pounds around this time and I am only at 129 pounds. I just don't get it because I eat at the right times and everything."

"Hmm…" Dave's mom said slowly. "Well, is the baby healthy?" she asked.

"Yes, everything is fine according to the doctor," Lilian said with a shrug, wrapping her fingers around Dave's hand when she felt it searching for hers.

"Well, that's a good sign," Dave's mom said with a shrug. "I wouldn't worry about it. Just eat more ice cream."

Lilian laughed at this, watching as Dave carefully maneuvered the SUV up their long back driveway. "Dave, why are you pulling in back here?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, I know how tired you are, so I figured we could come in back here so you didn't need to walk up the front steps," he replied casually, getting out and walking around the side of the SUV so he could help his wife out of the big truck.

"Well, that's sweet, even though you didn't need to do that," Lilian said with a smile, holding onto the side of the truck as she slowly made her way to the door, not wanting to slip on the snow that was still on the ground from their latest snowfall.

"Hang on, Lil, and I'll help you," Dave said as he helped his mother out of the truck.

"No, help Mom, I'll be fine," Lilian said, concentrating on the ground in front of her.

"Okay," Dave replied uncertainly, leading his mom to the house, knowing better than to coddle his wife. Still, after showing his mom into the house, he waited until she met him at the door, holding his elbow out for her to take. "After you, my darling," Dave said with a grin, holding the door open for her.

Lilian giggled, about to bite off a smart reply to his gentlemanly manners when something startled her.

"SURPRISE!"

She jumped slightly, looking into her living room to see about fifty of her closest friends and family standing there, including Trish, Lita, Stephanie, Linda, Marissa McMahon, Dawn Marie, Jackie, Ivory, Molly, Dahlia, and several others all smiling at her.

"Oh, my God! What is this?" Lilian asked, covering her mouth with her hand as she looked between Dave and her friends.

"It's a baby shower for you, silly!" Trish exclaimed, stepping forward to hug Lilian tightly. "How you doing, Preggers?"

"I'm good… just… surprised," Lilian said, hugging Amy as she stepped forward. "Now I know why Dave didn't want to park in the front! I'd have gotten suspicious by all the cars in my driveway!" she exclaimed, grinning at Dave for a moment before turning back to her guests. "Who's idea was this?"

"Stephanie and Dahlia's," Linda said, hugging her employee gently. "You look fabulous."

"Thank you, Mrs. McMahon," Lilian replied as she turned to her sister. "How did you manage to keep it a secret from my nosy self?"

"Believe me, it wasn't easy," Dahlia said with a laugh, warmly hugging her little sister. "I was having flashbacks to Christmas when you would always snoop in my room and somehow find your presents."

"Wait a minute!" Lilian said with a gasp. "_You _did that to _me_."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Lil," Dahlia replied with a laugh as Stephanie grabbed the little blonde for a hug.

"Lil, we have plenty of good food to eat and games to play, so why don't we get settled in the living room. Dave, you can join us too," Stephanie offered, nearly laughing at the somewhat horrified on the Animal's face at the suggestion of being the only male in the room with fifty females.

"Uh… thanks, Steph, but I think I will just go find a basketball game on television," Dave replied hastily.

"Aw, come on, don't you want to play Diaper Hot Potato?" Trish teased, all of the girls giggling when Dave turned a bright shade of red before muttering a reply and all but running from the room.

"No, thanks."

-----------

"Guys, this was so nice of you," Lilian told her friends with a shake of her head, looking around the living room at the sight of all the baby gifts they had given her.

"It's not a problem, Lil," Trish replied. "Just tell us one thing."

"What's that."

"Have you and Dave settled on a name yet?"

Lilian laughed, remembering how despite winning the bet fair and square a month ago, Dave still insisted on allowing Lilian to have part in naming their daughter. "Um… we've discussed it a little bit," Lilian finally replied. "We're thinking of naming her Sophia."

"Sophia," Lita repeated slowly. "I like it."

"Yeah… I've always liked the name Sofia in Spanish culture, with an 'f' instead of the 'ph'. However, we want to give her a more recognizable spelling so we are thinking of spelling it with the ph."

"Sophia… so I can call her Sophie?" Stephanie asked excitedly.

"Of course," Lilian replied with a laugh.

"What about a middle name?" Dahlia asked.

"Well, it sure as heck isn't going to be Maria," Lilian said. "There's no way my daughter is going to walk around with the name Sophia Maria Batista." Trish nearly spit out her lemonade at this, snickering loudly once she swallowed. "What is so funny, Trish?" Lilian asked, bemused.

"Well, it's just that you should have kept your last name. That way she would be Sophia Maria Garcia." The room was silent for a moment, before everyone started chuckling and shaking their heads.

"Trish," Stephanie said with a groan, slapping Trish gently upside the head.

"What?" Trish asked innocently, shrugging her shoulders for emphasis.

"Only you."

----------

End Part 4.3

Next chapter's gonna be a doozy, so stay tuned! Please review now! 


	20. And Baby Makes Three 4

One week after the baby shower, Dave and Lilian walked through the small park near their house, holding hands and watching as little kids played on the swings. It was a somewhat cold night, though it was a lot warmer than what it had been lately. For the first time in two months, there was no snow on the ground.

"It's beautiful out here," Lilian commented, her gloved hand squeezing Dave's bare hand. Looking down, Lilian frowned as she asked, "Aren't you cold?"

"Nah," Dave said with a shrug, stopping suddenly. "This looks like a good spot," he commented.

Lilian giggled, shaking her head. "I still don't know how you got my fat seven month pregnant butt out in forty degree weather for a hot cocoa and cookies picnic," she told him, carefully settling down on the soft blanket he had just set down on the grass.

"Are you too cold?" Dave asked, concerned as he looked down at Lilian.

"No, I'm fine," his wife replied. "I just want some of that hot cocoa."

"Ask and ye shall receive," Dave said, opening a thermos and pouring some of the hot cocoa into a mug for her. "Wow, it really is still hot."

"That's why they call it a thermos, you big baboon," Lilian replied, shaking her head teasingly. "God. I have to explain everything to you. And here I thought I was the blonde in this relationship."

"Hey, hush. Keep it up and you won't get any cookies… and they're your favorite," Dave teased.

"You have oatmeal raisin?" Lilian asked eagerly, nearly laughing when Dave's face fell slightly.

"I thought peanut butter cookies were your favorite," he said softly, looking almost like a puppy who was about to get in trouble.

"I'm just kidding, Dave," Lilian answered, shaking her head and laughing. "I know that you know what my favorite cookie is!"

Dave shook his head. "Jeez, woman, you're gonna drive me nuts," he muttered, opening a Tupperware container and placing it between the two of them. "These are from Mom," he told her, watching with a small grin as she eagerly reached for a cookie. "When I told her about our little picnic, she insisted on making these for you."

"Mmm…" Lilian said, closing her eyes as she savored the flavor of the cookie. "Remind me to call Mom and thank her tomorrow."

Dave moved closer to Lilian, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her forehead. "Thank you for coming out with me," he said softly. "I know it's not fun for you to move around a lot, but I really appreciate you coming out."

"Hey, it beats sitting around watching reruns of Law and Order: Criminal Intent and Special Victims Unit," Lilian replied, leaning in toward him. "I love doing things like this with you. And besides, me and Sophia can always use the exercise."

"Me, too," he said softly. "Lil, about the baby's name…"

"Oh, please tell me you haven't changed your mind and want to name her Persephone now," Lilian answered, shaking her head at the idea of that particular name Dave had liked.

"No, no, Lil. I still like the name Sophia."

"Me, too."

"But we need to give her a middle name."

"Yeah, we do. And it is not going to be Maria, that's for sure," Lilian added.

"No," Dave agreed. "But what about giving her your middle name? Sophia Anne."

"Sophia Anne," Lilian repeated slowly. "I like it."

"Me, too. Plus, she'll have something in common with her mother besides her drop dead gorgeous looks."

"You are such a suck up," Lilian replied with a shake of her head, leaning up and kissing Dave gently.

"Yeah, but you still love me."

"I do. I love you."

"I love you too, Lilian. With all my heart," he added, kissing her back softly.

----------

Something wasn't right.

Lilian knew that the second she woke up, a cold sweat coming over her body as soon as she forced her eyes open from the fitful sleep she was having. "Dave," she mumbled hoarsely, rolling over and trying to grasp him.

Lilian regretted the action immediately, for an excruciating pain racked her lower back and abdomen. She cried out, her hand finding Dave's bicep as she gripped it.

"What the hell?" Dave asked sleepily, shooting up at the pain in his arm. He immediately forgot about his arm, his attention going to his wife. "Lil?" he asked, panic lacing his voice when he saw the pained look on her face. "What's wrong?" She didn't answer; rather, she had her eyes clenched shut, her back slightly arched. "Baby, talk to me!"

"I… I don't know, Dave," Lilian finally managed to gasp. "It hurts."

"Okay," Dave replied, now fully awake, trying to remain calm. "Just relax, okay, Sugar? I'm going to call 9-1-1." Reaching over, he grabbed the cordless phone, shaky hands dialing before he reached back to take Lilian's hand in his.

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?"

"Yes, my name is Dave Batista. I need an ambulance. My wife… she's pregnant and in a lot of pain."

"Is she in labor?"

"I… I don't know," Dave replied, wincing when another wave of pain washed over Lilian's body and she gripped his hand even tighter.

"Okay… how far along is she, Dave?"

"She's thirty-four weeks along," Dave answered numbly.

"Okay, what is your address?" the operator asked, trying to keep her voice level so she did not scare Dave even more than he already was.

Dave rattled off their address quickly, looking down at Lilian. Her face was ashen, but she managed to open her eyes slightly, scared green eyes meeting terrified brown eyes. "It's going to be okay, Sugar. I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Lilian murmured, crying out when another painful spasm hit her.

"Okay, Dave, I need you to tell me this," the 9-1-1 operator interrupted calmly. "Did your wife's water break or is she vaginally bleeding?"

Dave froze at the question, his eyes darting to Lilian. "I… I don't know."

"Dave, I need you to check," the operator told him. "It's very important."

Taking a deep breath, he stood up, walking around the side of the bed. Lilian moaned when she felt him reaching for her nightgown. "It's okay, baby. I just need to see something for the nice lady on the phone, okay?" She relaxed slightly, and Dave reached down, moving the bedspread and lifting up her nightgown, nearly gasping at what he saw.

"There's… there's water on the bed… and she's bleeding. Badly."

"Okay," the operator replied, her voice still steady. "Dave, more than likely your wife is in premature labor. The ambulance is about two minutes away. I need you to unlock your door then go back to be with your wife."

"Okay," Dave said numbly, setting the phone down for a moment. "Lil, I'm going to unlock the door really quickly then I'll be right back, okay?"

Lilian nodded weakly, letting her hand drop to the bedspread when he let go. True to his word, he returned moments later, retaking her hand in his. "Dave… if I don't make it through this… I love you. I love you so much," Lilian murmured, closing her eyes.

"Lily, don't talk like that," Dave chastised tearfully. "You and Sophia are going to be just fine."

"You don't know that," Lilian replied softly, forcing her eyes open. "I-"

Her sentence was cut off when two paramedics made their way into the room. "Hello, dear," one of the paramedics, an older gentleman, greeted Lilian. "What seems to be the problem?"

Lilian opened her mouth to reply, only to scream when another pain filled contraction washed over her body. "I think she's in premature labor," Dave filled in helplessly, gripping Lilian's hand tightly.

"Okay… we're going to move you as quickly to the hospital as possible. What's your name, honey?" the other paramedic, a younger woman, asked as she examined Lilian.

"Lilian," the little blonde replied through gritted teeth.

"Okay, Lilian. We're going to take good care of you."

Lilian nodded, her eyes meeting Dave's. The terror in his eyes was enough to nearly break her heart. "I'm sorry," she murmured to Dave, tears spilling over her cheeks as the two paramedics worked carefully to place her on a backboard to get her on a stretcher.

"Lil… you have nothing to be sorry about," Dave whispered, his voice thick with tears as well. "You're going to be fine… you and Sophia."

"How do you know?" Lilian whispered, screaming hoarsely when another painful contraction hit her.

"Okay, let's move," the older paramedic instructed, the two easily carrying Lilian through the hallway, Dave following closely behind.

"I'm riding with her," Dave said firmly once she was loaded into the ambulance.

"Okay. Get in."

----------

The huge doors to the emergency room banged open, a doctor meeting Lilian, Dave, and the paramedics immediately. "What do we have?" the doctor asked briskly, taking a hold of the stretcher and leading them toward a room.

"Thirty year old female, premature labor, contractions are ten minutes apart," the younger paramedic stated quickly, helping to steer the stretcher toward a trauma room.

"Okay… Lilian," the doctor said after checking her chart. "I'm Dr. Lewis. I just want to take a look really quick, okay?"

Lilian nodded weakly, her head falling backwards as the doctor gently guided her feet into stirrups. Dave smiled encouragingly at his wife, pushing a few sweaty strands of hair back.

"Shit."

At that muttered expletive, Lilian and Dave both looked at Dr. Lewis, horrified. She ignored their looks, barking orders at the nurses in the room. "This baby isn't waiting any longer! Page Dr. Hicks, 9-1-1, and tell her to have the N.I.C.U. ready!"

"N.I.C.U.?" Lilian asked, panic rising in her chest. "But-"

"Okay, Lilian," Dr. Lewis cut her off. "I know you're scared to death, but I need you to concentrate on what you learned in childbirth classes. When you feel the next contraction, I need you to push on the count of three. Dave, I want you to hold her hands, okay?"

Lilian barely had a chance to respond before she felt a contraction coming on. "Oh, God," she yelled.

"One, two, three, push," Dr. Lewis said. "And, one, two, three, breath." Lilian let out a deep breath, tears welling in her eyes. "She's crowning! The next push should be it," Dr. Lewis told Lilian. "You're doing wonderful, Lilian. I know you're scared, but you are doing great."

"You're doing fabulous, baby," Dave added, ignoring the pain in his hands from the death grip she had on them.

Lilian opened her mouth to bite off the snarky reply about him putting her in this position in the first place, only to gasp in pain. "Okay, Lilian, one more push!" Dr. Lewis encouraged. "One, two, three, push!" Lilian let out a loud cry of frustration at this, only to have her heart nearly stop when Dr. Lewis exclaimed, "She's out!"

Then, the doctor murmured the three scariest words Lilian had ever heard in her life.

"She's not breathing."

----------

End Part 4.4


	21. And Baby Makes Three 5

Well, this is probably the most angsty thing I have even wrote. So grab the tissues, cause I sure as heck needed them in writing it. And again, I claim to know nothing about the medical industry.

----------

"What the fuck do you mean she's not breathing!"

"Starting compressions!" Dr. Lewis barked, ignoring Lilian's frantic question. The little blonde watched numbly as Dr. Lewis placed Sophia on her back, covering her mouth and nose and breathing twice into the baby's mouth. Then, using her two fingers, she began pushing rapidly on Sophia's chest.

"Sophia!" Lilian sobbed, attempting to push off of the table, only to have two sets of hands encircle her small arms.

"Mrs. Batista, you need to calm down!" one of the nurses chastised, attempting to push her back down. "Please, you need a blood transfusion and this isn't helping!"

"I don't care!" Lilian screamed, all rationality flying out the window as she struggled against the two nurses. "My daughter isn't breathing and you expect me to calm down? That's BULLSHIT!"

"Please, Mrs. Batista! This isn't helping anyone," Dr. Lewis said, continuing compressions after giving Sophia two more breaths. "We're trying our best but you need to… Mr. Batista, you need to step back!" Dr. Lewis interrupted herself, noticing that Dave had left Lilian's side and walked up next to where they were doing CPR.

"Come on, Sophia," Dave whispered, ignoring Dr. Lewis' orders to move and Lilian's heartbreaking sobs. With a shaky hand, he reached over and touched Sophia's tiny chest, leaving his palm there for a few moments.

Dr. Lewis was aghast at the lack of control in the trauma room. "Mr. Batista, we cannot do CPR if you are here-" she yelled, the tiny doctor attempting to force her way back into position, only to be cut off by an unexpected noise.

A loud cry rang out through the room, Sophia's little lungs powerful despite the fact she was premature. All motion in the room stopped before Dr. Lewis finally spoke up again, closing her gaping mouth in order to speak. "Okay, we need to get this baby to N.I.C.U.! Where is Dr. Hicks?"

"I'm right here," a black lady spoke up, meeting them in the room as they prepared Sophia to be moved up. "What do we have?"

"Thirty-four week preemie, wasn't breathing for about one minute after birth," Dr. Lewis replied rapidly.

"Weight?"

"We're getting that now," Dr. Lewis said, reading the scale built into the infant stretcher Sophia was laying in. "Four pounds, four ounces," she said, drawing a sob from Lilian.

"That… that's too low, Dave," she murmured, reaching her hand out and grasping his shirt. "What went wrong?" she asked, her voice catching slightly. Dave didn't answer; rather, he looked to Dr. Hicks.

"We don't know, Mrs…"

"Batista." Lilian supplied quietly, wiping away a tear that streamed down her exhausted face.

"Batista," Dr. Hicks finished. "The most important thing right now is to make sure that Sophia makes it through the day." Lilian gasped at this, only partly aware of the fact that Dave's hand made its way to hers, squeezing gently. "We'll be up in N.I.C.U. When you get cleaned up and rested, you and your husband can meet us up there."

Lilian opened her mouth to protest; to ask if there was anyway that she could perhaps touch her baby just once; but a sudden wave of heat and pain washed over her body.

Whether it was exhaustion from the labor, then unbearable pain in her back and abdomen, or her emotions getting the best of her, she would never know.

But Lilian Batista passed out; the only thing stopping her from sliding to the ground was her husband's quick reflexes.

----------

Lilian forced her eyes open, the excruciating pain in her back and abdomen now settled into a dull throb. She lifted her hand, not surprised to see a hospital bracelet and IV stuck to her hand. She was, however, surprised to see Stephanie sitting in a chair, dozing slightly.

"Steph?" she asked hoarsely, her throat hurting from all the crying she had done earlier.

Stephanie forced her eyes open at the sound, meeting the eyes of her exhausted friend. "Hey, Lil," Stephanie said tiredly. "How do you feel?"

"Like I was run over by a bus and the driver back up and ran over me again," Lilian replied with a mirthless chuckle, looking around the small hospital room. "When did you get here? What time is it?"

"Hunter and I got here about and hour and a half ago. And it's 11:15 in the morning, Lil," Stephanie said, pouring her friend a glass of water and holding the straw up to her lips so she could take a long drink.

"Where's Dave?" she asked, leaning back against the pillow.

"He and Hunter took a walk," Stephanie said carefully. "To… um… to see Sophia."

Lilian sat up in bed suddenly, remembering the reason why she was in the hospital bed in the first place. "Oh, God! Sophia!" she cried, swinging her legs over the bed before Stephanie could stop her.

Her feet no sooner touched the ground when her legs gave out on her, the little blonde weakly collapsing against her friend. Stephanie encircled Lilian's upper back with her arms, trying to keep her friend from falling completely. "Lil, come on. You're in no shape to be out of bed," Steph told her, attempting to move her back to the bed.

However, Lilian remained strong, attempting to move towards the door. "Steph, I gotta get to Sophia!" she cried, actually dragging Stephanie with her for a few feet before finally giving up the fight and turning to sob against her friend's shoulder.

"Shh… it's okay, Lil," Stephanie soothed, sinking down to the ground as Lilian did. "It's gonna be okay, I promise." After a few more long moments of this, Stephanie was relieved to see Hunter walk into the room. "Hunter, I need your help," Stephanie told him desperately. "Where's Dave?"

"Yeah, obviously," Hunter replied, bending down and easily scooping the little blonde into his arms. "Dave went to get some clothes from the house. I let him take our car. How'd she get out of bed? She just had a blood transfusion for God's sake."

"She's certainly stronger than she looks," Stephanie replied with a sigh, standing up and watching as Hunter carried her back to the bed, only to have the little blonde begin struggling again.

"Lil, come on, you're only going to hurt yourself," Hunter said, fighting to keep a strong grip on his tiny friend. "And Dave will probably kill me if you get hurt."

"Don't you dare put me in that fucking bed!" Lilian hissed weakly, squirming slightly in his strong grasp. "Put me in that damn wheelchair! Right NOW!"

"Lil-" Hunter began, only to be cut off by the little blonde.

"Damn it, Hunter! I just want to see my baby! I… I need to," Lilian finished softly, the fight leaving her sore body as she thought of her baby.

"Okay, okay," Hunter replied, turning so his path was now directed to the wheelchair in the corner of the room. "We'll go see Sophia."

------------

After being given permission to enter the N.I.C.U., Lilian nearly gasped at the sight of her daughter hooked up to all the machines that seemingly were doing the breathing for the tiny baby.

"Oh, God… Sophia," Lilian murmured, silently pleading with Hunter to push her faster to the tiny crib. When she finally arrived, Lilian felt a tear streak down her cheek, landing in her lap. "My baby…" she murmured, placing a shaky hand on the side of the crib. "My Sophia…"

Stephanie and Hunter stepped back, the brunette slipping her hand into Hunter's, silently watching as Lilian struggled to stand. Stephanie made a move to help her, only to be stopped by her husband. She looked at him, green eyes confused as she met Hunter's.

"Don't," Hunter told her softly, shaking his head. "She needs to do this on her own."

Stephanie frowned, turning her attention back to Lilian, relieved to see that her friend was now standing, though she was leaning heavily against the stable crib, an arm wrapped protectively around her sore abdomen.

"Hey, baby girl," Lilian said softly, reaching her shaking hand into the crib and touching her baby's little forehead. "God… you are so tiny," Lilian told her daughter, forgetting the fact that her friends were standing there, watching her every move.

Lilian ran a hand from her forehead to her tiny arm, taking Sophia's fingers in her hand. "You are so beautiful… so perfect," Lilian told her daughter softly, not noticing as two teardrops splattered on the baby blanket her daughter was wrapped in. "You look so much like your Daddy," Lilian added with a whisper, laughing slightly at the small tuft of dark hair on her head.

"Sophia… you're a Batista. You gotta fight through this and live. Please," Lilian pleaded softly. "You can't leave me… not after the way we bonded for the past seven months. I love you so much and can't bear to let you go. Not now… not never."

With a sigh, Lilian continued. "I want to… I want to feed you for the first time. I want to teach you how to ride a bike and how to play tennis and how to read. I want you to sing just like me or wrestle like your Daddy. You can't leave us, Sophia. You just can't. And I know Mommy probably sounds selfish, but I love you so much. You have so many wonderful people who love you already… like Aunt Steph and Uncle Hunter and Aunt Trish and Aunt Lita and Aunt Dahlia and Uncle Matthew and Mom-Mom. They're gonna be heartbroken if you leave us," she pleaded softly, not noticing when Stephanie let out a small sob.

"But Sophia… if you need to go to God… and believe me when I say I don't want you to leave… but if you do… just know that I love you, and your Daddy loves you. And I cherish every single moment that I've spent with you, even if it is just this one."

"You are a fighter. You didn't have to come back to us in that emergency room downstairs. But you did. That means something, Sophia," Lilian whispered, the tears falling faster.

"Sophia… I love you," Lilian whispered, staying silent for a few moments before lifting her hand from her aching abdomen and placing it on her daughter's heart, keeping her other hand wrapped around her daughter's fragile hand.

"Lord, God, please forgive me for my sins," Lilian whispered, bringing her teary eyes up to Heaven as she began reciting a prayer she said daily.

"Our Father, who art in Heaven…"

------------

Dave sighed, squeezing his wife's hand as he stood. He watched her sleep, the exhaustion of the day evident on the little blonde's face even as she rested. Dave glanced at Stephanie, smiling tiredly at the brunette.

"You okay, Dave?" Stephanie asked tiredly glancing at her watch. It was now five thirty in the afternoon.

"Yeah, I think so," he replied, stretching. "I just need some fresh air."

"Why don't you go take a nap or something before you have to switch off with you Mom," Hunter suggested, referring to the fact that the four were taking shifts with Sophia, staying with the tiny baby in case something happened.

"I might," Dave said with a shrug, bending down to kiss Lilian's forehead. "I think I'll be in the chapel though if you need me," Dave said, walking out of the room.

He made his way to the elevator, nodding towards the nurses who had been with them for the past few hours, making sure Lilian was comfortable and that they had everything they needed. Dave entered the elevator, leaning his tired head back against the wall as he rode down to the bottom floor. With a small sigh, he made his way to the small hospital chapel, relieved to see that there was no one in there.

Dave took a deep breath, settling down in a pew as he looked at the altar, staring blankly at the Bible for a few moments before speaking softly.

"Lord… I know that I'm probably the last person you expect to see in a church or chapel," Dave said quietly. "But please… God… I beg you to watch over Sophia. I don't know what I will do without her… or Lilian. Because I know that if I lose Sophia, then I will lose a part of Lilian too. And that's really selfish of me, but it's true. I don't know if I can bear to see Lilian go through that heartbreak… so please. Let Sophia make it. Because she's already Daddy's little girl."

With that, Dave began sobbing, the noise almost foreign to him… the painful sobs echoing in the small chapel. He buried his face in his hands, ducking his head as he cried.

"Son… are you okay?"

Dave jumped at the voice, hastily wiping at his eyes as he looked up, meeting the concerned gaze of an older gentleman. "I…" Dave began quietly. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about, son. Obviously you are hurting," the man said, placing a hand on Dave's massive shoulder. Dave nodded, wiping away a stray tear with the back of his hand. "What happened?"

"Uh… my daughter. She was born too early," Dave said numbly, staring at the alter, not meeting the man's gentle gaze.

"What's your daughter's name?" the man asked gently, keeping his hand on Dave's shoulder.

"Sophia. Sophia Anne."

"Well, Dave. I must say that your faith impresses me. And if you ask me, I think the Lord will take that into consideration as He looks down upon little Sophia Anne."

"How… how can you be so sure, Sir?" Dave asked, meeting the man's gaze.

The man leaned in, smiling at Dave. "God sees everything," he whispered, patting Dave on the arm and settling back into the pew, staring at the alter as well.

Dave kept his gaze on the man for a few moments before turning his attention to the doorway when he heard the large door creak open. His mother entered the room, a wide smile on her face.

"David, Sophia is breathing… on her own. The doctors said she's going to be fine," she told her son. "Come on. Lil is on her way to N.I.C.U. as well."

Dave finally managed to stand, bringing his gaze back toward the man he was just talking to. "Thank you," he started to say, only to freeze.

There was no one there.

------------------

End Part 4.5


	22. And Baby Makes Three 6

Lilian glanced in the backseat of the Envoy, looking down at Sophia for what seemed to be the fiftieth time during the ride home. The tiny infant was sleeping soundly, oblivious to the outside world.

It was two weeks after Dave and Lilian had rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night; fearful for the life of their baby. Now, they were finally bringing little Sophia Anne Batista home.

"Is she still there, Lil?" Dave asked, stopping his SUV at a stop sign, partly amused as he watched Lilian glance into the backseat yet again.

"Yes, she is," Lilian said tensely, glaring at Dave. "I can't help it that I want to keep looking at my baby. I… no, WE almost lost her, so PLEASE forgive me for-"

"Hey, hey, hey," Dave interrupted softly, placing a gentle hand on her arm. "I didn't mean to upset you, Sugar. I was just playing."

Lilian briefly closed her eyes, trying to ward off the Spanish tirade she felt coming up moments before. "I'm sorry, Dave," Lilian finally said softly. "I just… we came so close to losing Sophia. I can't help but look at her and think how lucky we are."

"I know," Dave agreed, taking her tiny hand in his and kissing her knuckles. "We are very lucky. She-" Before Dave could go on, an irritable car horn broke the duo out of their thoughts. "Okay, okay," Dave muttered, waving grumpily to the driver before easing gently onto the gas.

The pair remained quiet, though Dave kept a gentle grip on his wife's hand. After a few minutes, the pair pulled up to their house, Dave merely shaking his head at the sight of a large banner stating "Welcome Home, Sophia" and all of their friends standing underneath the banner.

"Okay, this has 'Trish Stratus' written all over it," Lilian said with a shake of her head, taking the seatbelt off and getting out of the Envoy before opening the back door to the SUV. Carefully lifting Sophia and her baby seat out of the SUV, Lilian turned to her friends.

"Guys, I want you to meet Sophia Anne Batista," she said softly, gently turning the seat so everyone could see the tiny baby wrapped in a pink blanket.

"Oh, my God," Lita was the first to speak up. This was the first time many of them had seen Sophia, and like those who had met the baby, they were shocked by how adorable the infant was.

"She's as delicate as you, Lil, but has Dave's good looks," Trish pointed out quietly, carefully reaching into the baby carrier and touching Sophia's silky cheek. The baby barely stirred, briefly opening her green eyes before closing them and falling back asleep.

"She has Momma's eyes and Daddy's hair," Randy pointed out quietly, reaching a shaky hand down to stroke Sophia's tuft of black hair. Trish smiled at the young superstar before looking at her blonde friend.

"We cleaned up for you. The McMahon's bought you a new mattress and it was just delivered yesterday. We figured you and Dave hadn't had a chance to buy a new one, so they got you one. We made your bed, and made sure Sophia's room was ready and all," Trish explained. "And a few of your friends wanted to meet the future WWE Diva, so we all stopped by."

"God, I forgot all about the mattress," Dave sighed, referring to the fact that their original one had been ruined the night Lilian went into early labor. "We've just spent time with Sophia, making sure that she was okay. I totally forgot."

"Thank you, Mrs. McMahon," Lilian said politely, shifting the baby carrier to the other hand. "Please, let us know how much the mattress is and we'll write you a check."

"Don't worry about it, Lilian," Linda replied with a small smile. "Just let me hold that adorable little girl for five minutes and we'll call it even."

"Okay," Lilian agreed. "Just let me get her inside." Looking down at her daughter, Lilian chuckled softly. "You know, Kiddo, for someone who is 6 pounds, you sure are heavy."

"Here, Sugar, let me carry her," Dave insisted, stepping over and taking the carrier. "I know you're still kind of hurting," he said softly to his wife, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that the little blonde was hurting from the birth. Her OBGYN had told her, after the birth of course, that it hadn't been the best option for Lilian to deliver Sophia naturally; rather, she should have delivered the baby by a Caesarean Section.

It was too late for that now, though.

"Hey, little sis, you okay?" Dahlia asked, watching concerned as Lilian gingerly dropped onto the soft couch, wrapping an arm across her abdomen.

"Yeah, I think so," Lilian replied with a sigh, watching as Dave carefully placed Sophia in Linda McMahon's arms. "I'm just sore… and my stomach's a little upset."

"And thanking God every chance you get?" Dahlia asked, settling down next to her sister and wrapping an arm across her shoulders.

Lilian merely nodded, bringing her legs up underneath her and laying her head on Dahlia's shoulder, smiling to herself as Trish hopped from foot to foot, eagerly waited her turn to hold Sophia. "More than anyone will ever know."

----------

Dave wasn't sure what woke him, but he became aware of the fact that Lilian was throwing up and Sophia was crying at the same time. With a sigh, he forced himself up off the bed, stumbling to the bathroom where Lilian was laying her head miserably against the toilet seat.

"Lily… baby, what's wrong?" he asked sleepily, moving to kneel next to her.

"I don't know," Lilian said tearfully, bringing a hand up to push against his chest. "I feel like shit," she managed to say before heaving into the toilet again, wrapping an arm across her sore abdomen.

"It's okay, Lily," Dave soothed, trying to help her to stand.

"No... let me be," Lilian said with a sigh. "Go make sure Sophia's okay. She's crying."

"Lily-"

"Go!" Lilian managed to yell hoarsely, closing her eyes.

Dave stood, walking out of the bathroom and down the hall, muttering about his stubborn wife. He walked into Sophia's room, avoiding turning on the lights. "Hey there, Baby Girl, what's wrong?" Dave asked softly, reaching down and picking up his tiny daughter, once again surprised at how small his daughter was in his arms.

Sophia's only response was a long wail, one that made Dave wince. "Okay, okay," Dave replied, reaching down. Her diaper was dry, and she had just eaten before bed. "What's the matter, little one?" he asked softly, though the question wasn't really meant for his daughter.

Dave walked around the room, talking softly to Sophia. "Shh," he soothed, rocking her gently. "I know you're upset sweetie, but I have no idea why. But it'll be okay," Dave said, sitting down in the oak rocking chair.

Sophia's crying was dying down, so Dave began rocking back and forth, hoping to put Sophia to sleep with his gentle movements. Her cries eventually died down. Dave stood carefully, placing his daughter back in the crib. He kissed her forehead gently before walking out of the room and back to the bathroom, rolling his eyes slightly when he saw Lilian curled up in a ball on the floor, her cheek resting against the cold tile.

"Come on, Sugar. Let's go to bed," Dave said softly, reaching down to help Lilian up.

"No! Don't wanna," Lilian grumbled miserably, turning away from him.

Dave nearly laughed, shaking his head as he easily scooped his wife up. "Let me be," Lilian whined weakly; however, she made no move to fight him off.

"No, we're going back to bed," Dave told her, easily carrying his lightweight wife back to bed. He had no sooner got her settled and was laying down when she shot up, covering her mouth with her hand and running for the bathroom, slamming the door against the wall in her haste to make it to the toilet in time.

By the time Dave reached her, Lilian was again hunched over the toilet, heaving. Dave held her hair back, closing his eyes briefly when he realized the commotion had reawakened his two week old daughter. "I'm so sorry," Lilian said tearfully, struggling to stand.

"It's okay, honey," Dave said gently, kissing Lilian's forehead. "You stay here. I'll go sit with Sophia."

Lilian nodded, closing her eyes and slumping to the ground, once again curling up and laying her head against the floor.

"Hey there Sophia," Dave said with a sigh, wiping away his daughter's tears before picking her up again. "It's okay," he soothed, running a large hand over her back. "Momma's just a little sick, but she'll be fine."

It took less time this time for Sophia to fall back asleep, and Dave made his way back to the bathroom to retrieve a sleeping Lilian from the floor.

This routine continued until early the next afternoon until Lilian's fever dropped and she was resting comfortably and Sophia was sleeping soundly. However, Dave knew that he needed to wake Sophia to feed her. Luckily, there was some milk ready in the refrigerator for him to give Sophia. God bless Lilian and her preparedness…

"Hey there Sweetheart," Dave said tiredly, testing the milk on the back of his hand to make sure it wasn't too hot for the infant. "You sleep well?"

The tiny baby didn't answer of course; rather, she looked at Dave with the same intense green eyes as her mother. "Okay, kiddo," Dave said, reaching down and picking up his daughter carefully, walking to the rocking chair as he cradled Sophia.

"Looks like we're gonna get good use out of this rocking chair that your Mama insisted on buying aren't we?" Dave asked Sophia, settling down in the chair and positioning the bottle so Sophia could suck on the bottle.

Dave sat there for several long minutes, simply mesmerized as he watched Sophia eat, little fingers greedily wrapped around the bottle. He was so mesmerized that he didn't realize that Lilian was leaning in the doorway, looking exhausted and pale as she watched Dave feeding their daughter.

"Hey, babe," Dave said quietly, not wanting to startle Sophia. "You feeling better?"

"Much," Lilian replied with a slight sigh, running a hand through her tangled blonde hair which was still damp from a shower she had apparently just taken. "At least I'm actually standing and not falling into the wall trying to make it to the bathroom in time. I feel human again."

"You look better," Dave pointed out. "What do you think is wrong?" he asked, looking down when Sophia suddenly pushed at his hand, indicating she was done eating.

"I think it's just a stomach bug," Lilian replied, walking into the room.

"Are you okay to be out of bed?" Dave fretted, standing up from the rocking chair.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Lilian replied. "I'm actually hungry now and I don't have a fever anymore." As she finished her sentence, she held her arms out. "You, on the other hand, look exhausted," Lilian pointed out, accepting the warm bundle as Dave placed Sophia in her arms.

"Lil, are you okay to be holding her?" Dave asked worriedly. "You were awful weak last night…"

"I think I'm okay," Lilian cooed, nuzzling her nose against Sophia's chin. "I wouldn't hold my baby girl if I thought I would hurt her."

"I know you would never hurt her, Lil," Dave said softly, stepping next to his wife and daughter, wrapping an arm around Lilian's shoulders. He reached his other hand around so it was resting on Lilian's forearm, his fingers stroking Sophia's arm.

Lilian rested her cheek against Dave's shoulders, simply staring down at her daughter for several long moments.

Even though it had been a rough first couple of weeks, everything was going to be fine. As she stood, holding her daughter while in the embrace of her loving husband, Lilian knew everything would be fine.

----------

End Part 4.6

End And Baby Makes Three

Next in the Series… The First Year


	23. The First Year 1

"…ello?"

Lilian couldn't help the smile the crept up to her lips at Trish's tired greeting. "Hey, chickie, what's going on?" she asked her friend.

"Lil… that you?"

"You know it."

"Why are you calling at… one o'clock in the morning?"

Lilian snickered, glancing at her watch. "Actually, Trish, it's one oh nine in the afternoon," the blonde answered sweetly, nearly laughing at her friend's reaction.

"Shit… I was supposed to meet Lita for breakfast," Trish muttered, the statement followed by a crash and a loud curse.

"Just how much did you have to drink last night, missy?" Lilian teased, folding her legs underneath herself.

"Too much," Trish said with a groan, sitting up and leaning against the hotel bed. "Enough about me, though. How's my favorite baby girl doing?"

"I'm great, thanks for asking."

"I was talking about Baby Sophia," Trish shot back, laughing slightly. "Not to say I'm not happy that you're doing okay."

"Oh, well that makes it okay," Lilian replied. "As for the little one, she's doing fabulous. She's becoming more and more adorable everyday."

"Oh, come on, Lil. She's so stinking cute that I don't think that she can get any cuter!"

"Yeah, that IS true. What can I say, she's got great genes. And I'm not talking about the kind you wear."

"Oh, yeah!" Trish exclaimed, "I just remembered. Li and I were out yesterday and I found the cutest little outfit for Sophia!"

""Trish!" Lilian exclaimed with a teasing moan. "You are going to spoil my daughter worse than Dave and I!"

Trish giggled as she answered, "Yeah, but Lil, it reminds me of one of your outfits! You two can match!"

"Oh, okay, do tell," Lilian said curiously.

"Okay, you know that brown skirt and white hooded sweater you have? From Abercrombie and Fitch?"

"That I wear with the white knee high socks and brown boots?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

"Okay…"

"Well, I found a cute little brown skirt and white sweater, just like it!"

"No way!" Lilian exclaimed, throwing her head back as she laughed. "Now all I would need are little brown boots for Sophia and we will match perfectly when we come to visit Raw next week!"

"That's already taken care of."

"Shut up! Where the heck did you find brown baby boots?"

Trish sniffed as she replied, "You'd be surprised what you find traveling across America."

"Yeah… true. Remember when you found that sex toy sho-"

"Okay, hush Blondie. Little ears may be listening!" Trish cut in.

"Oh, relax… she's down for the count," Lilian replied, nevertheless standing and walking to Sophia's room, smiling warmly at the sleeping infant before turning back to walk to the couch again.

"So, Lil. I feel like I haven't talked to you in forever. How are things for the Christening? You got everything all planned and set up?"

Lilian froze, wincing as Trish casually mentioned the event, remembering that this was the reason she called her friend in the first place. "It's uh… it's going well," Lilian replied slowly. Everything is all set up… I just need to confirm with the godparents."

"Oh?"

Lilian sighed, closing her eyes. "Look, Trish… you're one of my best friends and always will be."

Trish was silent for a moment, then asked, "You're not breaking up with me, are you?"

"I… what?" Lilian asked, her thoughts interrupted at the question.

"It's a joke, Lil," Trish chuckled. "You sound like you're freaking out. I bet you have your eyes squeezed shut right now. Cause when you're making a call that you don't want to be making, you close your eyes really tightly."

"Okay, that's just scary Stratus," Lilian replied, switching the phone to her other hand as she gave a slight laugh.

"Seriously, Lil… just talk to me."

Lilian sighed again, shaking her head. "Trish, Dave and I decided that we were going to have Stephanie and Hunter as Sophia's godparents."

Trish was quiet for the briefest of moments, then slowly replied, "Okay."

"It's just… okay?" Lilian asked.

"Yeah, of course it's okay!" Trish answered. "I can still buy her clothes, right?"

"Well, duh," Lilian replied giddily, happy her friend wasn't mad or hurt. "Okay, cool. You're not hurt, right?"

"Lil," Trish replied with a small laugh. "Unless you said that it was because you were afraid of me dropping her on her head, I think I'll survive. As long as you allow me to be a part of Sophia's life, it doesn't hurt my feelings."

"Oh, okay!" Lilian said happily. "You have no idea how happy I am to have that off my chest!" After Trish's muffled reply, Lilian grinned, shifting the phone to her other hand again as she settled in for what was sure to be a long conversation.

"So, Ms. Stratus, how are things with Mr. Orton?"

-----------------

Once Sophia was Christened and everyone was on their way to the reception, Lilian turned to Stephanie and Hunter as they were standing outside the church. "Thank you both again so much for doing this," the little blonde said softly, cradling Sophia to her chest. "Our pretty little girl will have the best godparents in the world," Lilian cooed. Dave grinned when Sophia's face broke into a wide grin at her mom's antics.

"Yeah, thanks," Dave added, patting Hunter on the arm. "I feel relieved knowing that if anything were to happen to me and Lil, she's in good hands."

"It's our pleasure," Stephanie replied. "Now, is Lilian gonna hog the baby the entire reception or may I hold my goddaughter?"

"Oh, sorry, we're not at the reception yet," Lilian teased. "She's mine until then."

"Aw, come on, Lil. Share. That's something we're gonna teach Sophia, so you better work on that one right away!" Dave interrupted.

Lilian opened her mouth to reply, only to freeze when a voice spoke up.

"Lilian."

A voice she hadn't heard since August of last year… a voice she hadn't expected to hear ever again.

A voice that was often filled with anger whenever she spoke with him; a voice that often spoke criticism of his youngest daughter and her choice of a career.

Whirling around, holding Sophia a little closer to her chest, Lilian's eyes met those of her father. She kept eye contact for a few moments, then glanced next to her father, seeing the wavering look in her mother's eyes. Behind them stood Dahlia, Lilian's older sister looking somewhat nervous as Lilian's gaze moved between her mother and father.

Her confused eyes met those of Dahlia, green eyes locking with brown ones briefly. In that gaze, Lilian immediately knew that her sister was the one responsible for bringing her parents to her daughter's Christening.

Lilian puffed out her cheeks, turning and handing Sophia carefully to Dave. Her husband looked down at her, accepting the tiny bundle in his arms. "Lil…" he began, only to stop when Lilian gazed up at him.

The look in her eyes was one he had never seen before… one of hurt, confusion, sadness, and… was it hope? Whatever it was, the emotion in his wife's eyes was not something that he was used to and he had no idea how to handle it.

"Dave, I'll be at the reception in a little bit," Lilian said quietly, reaching up and kissing him gently on the cheek.

"Lilian, do you want me-" be began again, only to be silenced by a pleading look from his wife. "Okay," he finally finished, glancing at Stephanie and Hunter. "Come on, guys. Lilian will be back in a few."

With a parting glance to the group, Dave turned, Stephanie and Hunter following closely, the looks on their faces displaying their confusion. With a sigh, Lilian closed her eyes briefly before turning back to the three.

"Was that my granddaughter?" Lilian's mom asked quietly, her gaze lingering past Lilian's form.

Lilian bit back the smart aleck reply that was threatening to surface, instead biting her tongue and replying, "Yes." Squaring her shoulders, Lilian looked hard at her sister before asking, "Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?"

Lilian's dad sighed uncomfortably, crossing his arms and looking at his youngest daughter. "Lilian, Dahlia told us what happened with Sophia… how she almost… how she almost didn't make it." Lilian remained quiet, though she glared at her sister. Dahlia, to her credit, didn't even flinch at the reserved for making people cringe in fear. "And… when she told me that today Sophia was going to be Christened, your mother and I decided that we would come and try to fix our relationship with you."

"Why… why now?" Lilian asked, her tough front slowly crumpling as she felt tears brimming.

"Lilian. I know that our relationship has been very… strained. And I'm sorry," her father said tearfully. "I feel like it's my fault. And I don't expect you to welcome me back right away. But please," he said softly, "Please let me… us… be a part of your life. I want to get to know my granddaughter and your husband."

"Please," Lilian's mother added pleadingly, placing a hand on her youngest daughter's shoulder. "I'm sorry. Believe me when I say that, Lilian. I am so sorry."

Lilian closed her eyes, tilting her head up to face the sun. Her mother's hand was still on her shoulder, and surprisingly she was allowing it to be there. Her mind was telling her different things… that she should forgive and forget, that she should suck it up and hug them, that she should haul off and hit her sister for arranging this little get together, that she should run away crying.

But her body wasn't cooperating with these thoughts.

It wasn't until she heard her father sigh and felt her mother's hand leave her shoulder that she reopened her eyes. "Come on, Gloria. Let's go," her father said quietly, wrapping his arm around his wife. "Thanks, anyway," he said to Dahlia, turning to walk away.

"Wait!" Lilian didn't realize she spoke the word until her parents stopped, turning hopefully. Lilian sighed again, crossing her arms as she said, "I'm going to be straightforward with you here. We're a long ways from being a family again, but… would you like to meet my husband and daughter?"

Lilian's mother and father nodded, and Dahlia smiled to herself.

There was still a long ways to go, but it looked like the broken family would soon be back together.

-------------

End Part 5.1


	24. The First Year 2

"Okay, Mom. I need to go now," Lilian told her mother, smiling wanly at her husband.

"Oh, so soon?" her mother asked.

"Mom, we've been on the phone for…" Lilian glanced at her cell phone, then spoke again, "An hour and fifty-six minutes."

"Wow. That long?"

"Yeah, Mom. I think Dave's a little bored with my end of the conversation, but I had fun," Lilian said with a small laugh.

"Oh, dear," Lilian's mom said. "I'm sorry. I should have let you and Dave alone."

"Mom, it's not a problem," Lilian said gently. "I spend all the time in the world with Dave and Sophia. I think I can afford to spend some time talking to you, especially since we haven't really talked the last six years."

"I'm sorry," her mother repeated.

"Mom, please." Lilian closed her eyes briefly, trying to keep her emotions in check. "Stop apologizing."

"Okay, Lilian," her mother replied softly. "Take care. I love you."

"I know," Lilian said softly, finding it difficult to relay the same salutations to her mother. "I'll talk to you later. Tell Dad I said hello."

"Okay. Bye."

Lilian shook her head as she shut her phone, looking over at Dave. "Sorry, baby. I didn't realize we were on the phone so long."

"It's okay," Dave replied. "I think I found a way to keep the little one asleep at night," Dave answered, glancing sideways at his wife as he maneuvered his truck through the gates of the arena where Raw was being held.

"Oh, yeah? What's that?"

"Have her listen to one of your conversations," Dave replied slyly, not surprised when Lilian's tiny hand connected with his bicep. "Ow!"

"They live in trees," Lilian replied sweetly. "Are you trying to say that I'm boring?"

"Well, if last night was any indication, I'd certainly say you are not boring," Dave answered, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Dave!" Lilian exclaimed, blushing slightly. "There are young ears in the car!"

Dave glanced behind him, smiling at his daughter. "Eh, she's sleeping."

"Okay, but if she ever does up to your mom and says, 'Daddy said Mommy isn't boring in bed,' YOU are the one explaining it to her," Lilian shot back, giggling at the horrified look on his face at the thought.

"Well, then," Dave began, again looking at his daughter, "We need to get that kid a pair of earplugs."

* * *

"Oh, my God! Look at how adorable you two are!" Trish squealed, taking in the matching outfits that Lilian and Sophia wore: the brown skirt and white sweater outfit, complete with matching brown boots.

Lilian grinned up at Dave, the big man shaking his head. "It's a girl thing I guess," he said to his wife. "Look, honey, I'm going to go talk to the guys. You and Sophia go visit the girls and I'll see you in a little bit, okay?"

"Okay," Lilian replied, kissing Dave on the cheek when he bent down.

"Bye Angel," he whispered to Sophia, kissing her forehead. "You enjoy your time with Momma and Auntie Trish. Don't let them corrupt you too much."

"Get out of here!" Trish said with a laugh, kicking at Dave as the big man lumbered away, laughing as well. She shook her head, turning to Lilian, her arms outstretched. "Gimme the baby… now."

Lilian giggled, holding her daughter protectively. "Nope, sorry. No one gets to hold her today unless their name is Lilian." Seeing the indignant look on her friend's face, she added, "Or Trish."

"Yay!" Trish squealed, holding out her arms for Sophia.

"Geez, Trish, you're worse than the seagulls in Nemo!" Lilian told her friend. "Mine! Mine! Mine!" she mimicked, handing over Sophia carefully.

"Okay, Lilian, quit being a nerd," Trish shot back, holding Sophia up in the air. "Look at you, Ms. Adorable One!" Trish squealed, tossing Sophia slightly. The baby giggled, Lilian shaking her head at the action.

"You know, Trish, you're the only one I trust to do that," Lilian told her, her heart slowing as Trish tucked Sophia into her hip. "Now come on. Let's visit all our girlfriends."

The two began walking towards the women's locker room, Lilian smiling as she saw Stephanie and Hunter walking to them.

"Hey, Lil. I thought you weren't back till two weeks from now," Stephanie said, tickling Sophia gently.

"I'm not. But I wanted to visit and try and get back into the routine before then."

"Oh. Are you going to bring Sophia with you on the road?" Hunter asked curiously.

"Nah," Lilian replied, looking up at Hunter. "Dave's mom is going to watch her Sunday nights until Tuesday when I get home."

"Well that works out well," Stephanie said.

"Yeah. I just know I'm going to miss her so much," Lilian answered, tears welling in her eyes. Blushing, she swiped at her eyes. "Look at me, I'm starting to cry and I haven't even left her for one show yet."

"It's okay, Super Mom," Trish said. "Here! Take the little one back. She's the insta-cure for sadness."

Lilian laughed, accepting her daughter back. "Aw, look at this beautiful little gal," Lilian cooed, kissing her daughter's forehead, delighted when her daughter giggled.

"Well, I hate to go, but Raw needs some rewriting," Stephanie said, kissing Sophia on the cheek. "Bye Baby Doll."

"Bye, sweetie," Hunter added, touching Sophia's cheek.

"Ahem… did everyone forget about me?" Lilian teased, pretending to be jealous.

"Uh, I would touch your cheek but I fear for my life," Hunter said playfully, cringing away when Stephanie swatted at his arm.

"Okay, okay," Lilian said. "See you later."

As the two blondes watched Stephanie and Hunter leave, they turned and began walking down the hall again. As they made their way, however, a tall figure met them in the hall.

"Lilian," Vince McMahon greeted the blonde with a smile. "It's good to see you back on WWE turf."

"Thank you, sir," Lilian replied, "But I'm not back yet. I'll be back in two weeks."

"Oh, okay," Vince answered, watching as Lilian shifted Sophia to her other hip. "Is this the future diva I've heard so much about?"

"Yes, sir," Lilian said, turning so Vince could see Sophia better. "Mr. McMahon, this is Sophia Anne Batista."

"She's precious. She has your eyes and Dave's hair," Vince said softly, smiling at the tiny baby.

"That's what everyone says," Lilian responded with a laugh. "Would you like to hold her?"

Vince's eyes widened slightly at the offer, and he swallowed before replying, "Um… sure."

Lilian carefully handed Sophia to Vince, watching as her daughter's eyes become larger as she was transferred into the large arms of Vince McMahon. "Shh, it's okay Baby Girl," Lilian soothed. Sophia brought her green eyes to Vince, who offered a wavering smile to the infant.

Less than a second later, Sophia burst into tears.

"Okay, okay," Vince soothed, looking desperately at Lilian. "Um, Lilian," he began, shifting Sophia in his arms.

"Okay, come here, Sopapilla," Lilian said softly, trying her best to ignore Trish's shaking form. She knew that if she glanced at her friend, the two of them would begin laughing in Vince McMahon's face.

And that was the last thing she wanted.

"It's okay, sweetie, Momma's here," Lilian soothed, relieved when her cries began to die down. "That's weird… she's never done that before," Lilian said aloud, nearly smacking her forehead at the crushed look that came over her bosses' face. "I mean… she… uh…" Lilian trailed off, resisting the urge to kick Trish when a giggle escaped the diva's mouth. "Would you like to try again?" she meekly offered.

"Uh, no thanks, Lilian. I need to do some things before Raw. Thanks, though," Vince said hastily. "Take care. I'll see you in a couple weeks."

"Okay, bye," Lilian replied, watching Vince walk away before turning to a nearly hysterical Trish. "I am going to kill you one of these days. Slowly and painfully, mind you."

"No, you won't," Trish answered. "Who would you have for entertainment?"

"True," Lilian said with a shrug, kissing Sophia's cheek. "Go see Auntie Trish again," Lilian said, handing her off to Trish as they once again started for the women's locker room.

"Come on, you little troublemaker," Trish said softly. "By the way, where in the world did the nickname 'Sopapilla' come from?"

Lilian frowned slightly, shrugging again. "I honestly have no clue," she told Trish. "I just started to call her that one day."

"What does Dave think of it?"

"Eh, he's clueless. I don't think he even knows I call her that. I had 'Ingredients for Sopapillas' written on my grocery list and he was like, "Sweetie, what are soap-uh-pie-la-las?'"

Trish snorted, shaking his head. "So he doesn't mind you call your daughter a name after a dessert?"

Lilian laughed, shaking her head. "Trish, he still doesn't even realize they ARE a dessert," she said. They came to the door of the women's locker room, and Lilian held the door open.

Before they even walked in, there was a resounding "Aw!" from the divas when they saw Trish carrying Sophia.

"Welcome back, Lil!" Victoria was the first to say, walking up to Lilian and hugging her. "You look awesome. Have you lost all the baby weight?" she asked, holding Lilian back and looking at her.

"Yes, I did," Lilian replied with a laugh. "Thankfully it wasn't hard."

"Yeah, it's easy to lose weight chasing Dave around the bed," Torrie called, the divas all laughing at Lilian's deep blush.

"Very funny," Lilian replied, sticking her tongue out at Torrie.

"Can I hold her?" Molly asked shyly, holding her arms out.

"Of course," Lilian replied.

"Just don't pull a Vince McMahon," Trish said as she handed off Sophia yet again.

"A Vince McMahon? What's that?" Victoria asked.

Lilian and Trish exchanged a glance and began giggling almost immediately. "Well," Lilian began, settling down in a chair. "You're not going to believe what happened to the two of us.

* * *

End Part 5.2 


	25. The First Year 3

Kind of a filler/sleeper chapter… enjoy

* * *

He watched as she paced nervously, shaking his head at his wife's nervous mumblings. It was now four months after she gave birth to Sophia, and tonight was the night Lilian was returning to her duties as ring announcer for Raw.

"Lilian…"

"She probably thinks I've abandoned her."

"Lily…"

"I must be the worst mother in the world!"

"Lil…"

"I mean, seriously. She's gonna think that I'm not coming back. What type of mother leaves her four-month old daughter anyways?"

"Lil!"

"Oh, man. I can't do this. I'm gonna go find Vince and tell him I have to leave."

"Lilian Anne Batista!"

With the use of her full name, she jumped, turning her attention to Dave, who was watching her with an amused look. "Lil… relax."

She took a deep breath, crossing her arms over her chest and dropping her head. "Dave… I just feel so guilty. I mean, your Mom is awesome and Sophia knows her, but… I miss her. And I don't want her to feel like I'm abandoning her."

"It's gonna be okay, Lil," Dave said, standing up and hugging Lilian to his chest. "She'll be fine."

"I know… I just didn't realize leaving her for two days was going to hurt this much," Lilian said softly, burying her face in his chest, her next words muffled. "How do you do it?"

He sighed, resting his chin on the top of Lilian's head. "It's hard, Lily. It's hard being away from you and Sophia during the week. But you know what?"

"What?"

"I just take the time that I have with you and Sophie and treasure it as much as possible."

"But Dave… I want to be there. I want to be there to see her crawl and take her first step. I want to see her cut her teeth and I want to hear her say her first word and I want to watch as she's learning how to ride a bike and comfort her when she loses her first tooth. I mean… is it selfish to want to see all this?"

"Of course not, baby."

"Then why does it hurt so badly? I'm freaking out and this in only the first time I've been away."

Dave sighed, settling down on the couch the locker room provided, opening his arms. Without a sound, Lilian dropped down in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and curling against his chest, drawing her legs up so she was curled into a ball in his lap. She was so little, Dave realized… and fragile. Especially when it came to the welfare of their daughter.

"I don't know, Lil. I always miss Sophia and you when I'm on the road."

"Does it ever get easier?"

Dave sighed, shaking his head. "Honestly?"

"Yeah?"

"No."

Lilian sighed, managing a small smile for her husband. "That's not helping."

"I know, baby," Dave whispered into her ear. "But just think… tomorrow morning you'll be on a plane back to Washington and the little one will be back in your arms."

"You're right, Dave," Lilian replied, kissing him on the cheek. "I'm sorry for freaking out on you… I just didn't realize how hard it would be to be away from her until it actually happened."

"It's okay, baby. In the meantime," he whispered naughtily, "We're here in this cozy, locked locker room with a fluffy couch and no baby… what do you think we should do?" He accented his words with a kiss to her neck that he knew made her weak in the knees.

Lilian playfully laughed, feigning shock as she stated, "Why, Mr. Batista! Do you realize that we could easily be caught by one of our peers?"

"But see, baby," he whispered against her throat, "That's half the fun in it."

* * *

Lilian took a deep breath as her music hit, and she stepped from behind the curtain. She was shocked by the roar of approval from the Oklahoma City crowd, one that she hadn't heard since she went on maternity leave.

Lilian walked down the aisle, waving to the audience and making her way to her seat. "Well, good evening, Oklahoma City!" she greeted once she set her binder down and climbed into the ring. "Does it feel good to be back on Monday Night Raw!"

The crowd roared their approval, quickly beginning a "Welcome Back!" chant. Lilian blushed slightly, laughing.

"Alright, enough of this mini-homecoming for me! Save that for Good Ol' JR!" she joked, earning a cheer from the crowd at the mention of their hometown boy before moving into her pre-Raw spiel.

Half an hour later, she glanced at her cell phone to see the time. She couldn't wait to get to the back and call Dave's mom to see how Sophia was doing. However, she was surprised to see a text message from Dave's mom.

Fearing the worst, she used her binder to shield her cell phone as she flipped it open. It wasn't a text message; rather it was a picture message. Lilian's heart nearly melted as she saw her daughter curled up in her crib, sleeping soundly. Accompanying the picture was a message: 'She's fine. Enjoy the show. I'll talk to you in a few hours.'

"Aw," Lilian breathed, her eyes watering slightly at the picture. She glanced up to the ring, just in time to see the finish of the match. Jumping to her feet, she announced the winner, sounding a little too jovial about the fact that La Resistance had just beaten The Dudley Boyz. However, she didn't really care.

All that mattered was that Dave's mom had been thoughtful enough to let her know somehow that Sophia was fine.

And for that she was grateful.

* * *

Lilian stepped off the plane eagerly, pulling her baseball cap over her face. Usually she loved when people recognized her and wanted her autograph… however, that was a factor standing between her getting home to Sophia.

She went to the baggage claim area, quickly finding her bag and grabbing it. 'Man, I must have the best luck in the world,' she thought as she made her way to the area where she could hail a taxi. No one was recognizing her and she was getting out of the airport quickly… something had to be up. Surely there would be no taxis available or something.

"Lilian!"

She winced when she heard her name called, and she turned slightly, her eyes widening when she saw Dave's mom walking toward her quickly, a tiny bundle in her arms.

"Oh, my God!" Lilian gasped, running to meet up with the pair. "Mom!" she exclaimed, accepting Sophia when the elder Batista handed her to her mother. "What are you doing here? You didn't have to meet me! Oh, my baby girl," she said in a rush, kissing her mother-in-law before showering her daughter with kisses.

"I figured you would want to see her as soon as possible," Dave's mom explained, picking up Lilian's bag from where she had dropped it on the ground.

"Mom, you didn't have to do this!" Lilian gushed, holding Sophia closely. "There's my baby girl! I missed you so much!" she cooed, nuzzling her daughter's cheek with her own and laughing when a wide smile spread over Sophia's face. "Aren't you just adorable? Yes you are!"

She shifted Sophia to her hip, holding her daughter protectively. "Mom, you are the best. You really didn't have to meet me here. I think I could have held out for another hour!"

"I know, I know," her mother replied. "But Dave said you were really missing Sophia, so we took a little trip. Just don't expect this type of greeting every week!"

"Oh, I won't," Lilian replied happily. "These first two days were hard, but I think if I made it through this first time, I'll be fine," she admitted.

"Well, that's good to know. Now let's get out of here before someone recognizes you! I want to tell you all the cute things Sophia did yesterday!"

* * *

End Part 5.3... now review, please! 


	26. The First Year 4

A special spank you goes out to Katy for this idea...

* * *

Dave walked quickly down the hall of their house, smiling as he watched Lilian feeding their now ten month old daughter. Over the past six months, Lilian and Dave had settled into a routine in which he did wrestling shows during the week and saw Lilian and Sophia whenever he could. As hectic as this could be sometimes, Lilian, Dave, and Sophia seemed to be coping well with this schedule. He paused for a moment, taking in the little blonde's loving way she fed their daughter mashed carrots, playfully twirling the spoon in Sophia's face.

"Baby, I'm going out now. I love you," he told her, turning and walking to the door.

"Fine. Whatever."

Dave froze at the annoyed tone in her voice, turning back quickly. "You okay, Lil?"

"I'm fine."

Dave frowned at the annoyed monotone in the short sentence, placing his keys on the side table and walking into the dining room. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Dave. Just go."

"No, Lil. I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong."

She sighed, the annoyance evident in the short breath. She yanked the towel off the holder, wiping her hands and turning to Dave.

"I told you. It's nothing!" she repeated, throwing the towel down once she was finished wiping her hands.

"Lil," Dave replied gently, resting his hand on her shoulder. "I know you enough to be able to tell when something isn't right."

"Just go, Dave," she said bitterly, shaking his hand off her shoulder. "Go have fun and leave me here with Sophia."

"Oh…" Dave said slowly, crossing his arms over his chest. "I see what's wrong."

"Oh, yeah?" Lilian challenged. "What's that?"

"You think I'm leaving you to care for Sophia." When she didn't answer, he pressed, "I'm right, aren't I?"

Lilian sighed, matching his posture as she crossed her arms across her chest. "Dave… You're on the road three of the five days that I'm home with Sophia. So don't you think I'm a little upset that you're leaving me to take care of her again?"

"Take care of her?" Dave repeated. "That's your daughter you're talking about, dear. I thought your job was to take care of her."

Lilian glared at him, her jaw clenching. Dave didn't flinch at the look that made most people cringe, however; he matched it perfectly. "My job," Lilian spat. "So you look at parenthood as a job? Like it's no different then fighting Hunter at a pay-per-view?"

"That's not what I said, Lil," Dave ground out. "Stop doing that."

"Stop doing what?"

"Putting words in my mouth!" Dave exclaimed angrily. "You always do that! You twist around what I say so that you make me feel guilty. It's not gonna work this time, Lilian."

Lilian flinched slightly, though she didn't show that to Dave. He used her full name… he never did that unless he was really pissed. She turned, shaking her head. "I'm done with this conversation, David," she said evenly. "Just go. Have fun." He grabbed her arm, Lilian wrenching the limb away from him. "Don't grab my arm!" Lilian hissed.

"Lilian… look, if it means this much to you, I'll just cancel my plans," Dave said softly, his hands dropping to his sides. "Hunter will be disappointed, but I'll just-"

"No, Dave," Lilian cut him off. "Go. I mean, it's not you get to hang out with the guys all the time after the shows. So go hang out with Hunter and have a grand old time."

"Lilian, I've had these plans for a month now? Why are you being such a bitch all of a sudden?"

Lilian's first reaction was to slap the taste out of his mouth. However, the sudden cooing of Sophia stopped her. She clenched her fists, glaring at him before muttering, "Leave."

"Lil-"

"Damn it, Dave, just go!"

Sophia began crying at the sudden outburst, and Lilian shot Dave another angry look. The big man simply shook his head, grabbing his keys and stalking out of the house, making sure to slam the door on the way out. Lilian closed her eyes briefly, willing herself to relax as she turned her attention back to Sophia.

"Hey, there, Sopapilla. It's okay. Mommy's here."

* * *

Dave sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that afternoon. Hunter glanced from the basketball court where the Washington Wizards had just scored to Dave. "You okay, man?"

"Hmm?" Dave asked, bringing his attention to Hunter. "I'm sorry. What?"

"You keep sighing. What's up?"

Dave shook his head, smiling weakly at his friend. "It's nothing. Lilian and I just had a little fight before I left."

"A fight?" Hunter asked skeptically. "You two never fight. What gives?"

"I don't know, man," Dave replied, running a hand through his hair. "Lilian got all pissy when I left… I think she's annoyed because I'm always on the road and I went out today, leaving her with Sophia again."

Hunter frowned slightly, taking in the depressed look on his friend's features. "Look, man… why don't we just forget the rest of the game? Go home to Lilian and talk to her," he suggested softly.

"Nah," Dave replied with a sigh. "She needs time to cool off. Lilian's a Latina; it's best to let her chill out before trying to talk to her. Trust me. She's a fireball when she's pissed."

"Okay, then," Hunter replied. "In the meantime, try to smile a little. Your face won't crack!"

Dave managed a small smile, turning his attention back to the game. However, his mind and heart were thinking of a certain blonde back at the house…

Dave shook his head, meeting Hunter's concerned glance. "Look, man… would you be upset if we left?" he finally asked. "I just can't…" he trailed off.

"We're out of here," Hunter replied, shrugging nonchalantly. "Come on. Let's get you home to the fireball."

* * *

"Hey there, baby girl," Lilian sang softly, holding her daughter to her chest as she moved around the bedroom. "I love to dance with you!"

Lilian laughed along with Sophia, twirling around the room as she held her daughter. "You're so pretty! Oh, yes, you are!" she continued to sing, kissing her daughter on the cheek. "Pretty, pretty, pretty!"

She was so involved in her dancing and singing that she didn't notice the door of the house opening and footsteps moving through the house. "I love you… I love you… I love you," she sang, before whispering one last time, "I love you."

Lilian frowned slightly when Sophia perked up, glancing behind her to see Dave standing there.

"Hey," he said sheepishly, smiling at his wife. "Looks like Sophia likes your singing."

Lilian managed a small smile back, mumbling a greeting as she held Sophia a little closer. "You're back early," she added calmly.

"Yeah, the game was boring," Dave commented.

"You shouldn't talk about your friends that way," Lilian answered, shifting Sophia to her other hip as the baby looked at Dave with wide eyes. Seeing the blank look on his face, she reiterated, "The Game? Triple H?"

"Oh!" Dave said, getting her joke. "Yeah." Sophia held her arms out to be taken by her father, and Lilian complied, handing off her daughter.

They stood there, staring at each other for a few moments, before both began talking at the same time.

"Dave, I-"

"Look, Lil-"

They laughed nervously, before Dave stated, "Go ahead."

"Dave, I'm sorry," Lilian began. "You work hard, you put your body on the line every week, and it's all to make sure that Sophia and I are taken care of. I overreacted earlier, and I'm sorry."

Dave shook his head, frowning as he answered, "No, Lil, you were right. You spend all your time with Sophia, you take care of her everyday, and I should be more sensitive. I shouldn't just run out of the house when I'm home."

"But Dave,' Lilian spoke up. "There's been plenty of times where I've left you to take care of Sophia so I could see Trish or Lita. So how's that different?"

Dave opened his mouth to reply, then closed it. "I can't believe we're arguing over this," he finally answered.

Lilian shook her head, smiling up at her husband. "I don't like fighting with you Dave."

"I don't like it either, Lily," Dave replied, gesturing for her to join him and Sophia.

With a sigh, she closed the distance between, leaning into him and pressing her tiny frame against his massive chest. "How about we just forgive and forget and promise to be more sensitive to the other's plans?" she suggested, holding her finger up for Sophia to grasp.

"That sounds good," Dave conceded, kissing the top of Lilian's head. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

They stood in silence for several minutes, save for the occasional baby noises that Sophia made. "She really loves you," Lilian commented softly, noting the way that Sophia seemed to melt into Dave's side.

"Hmm, she really does take after her mother," Dave replied.

"Yeah, her mother has pretty good taste," Lilian teased, glancing at her watch. "We need to get her down for a nap or else she'll be up all night."

"Okay," Dave said, walking over to the crib and gently placing Sophia down. Lilian followed, slipping her arm around Dave's waist as they looked down at their daughter, who looked back up at them with wide eyes.

"Dada?" Sophia suddenly said, her little eyes moving from Lilian to Dave.

Dave's mouth opened slightly, but it was Lilian's gasp that broke the silence. Dave glanced at Lilian, surprised to see her hands covering her mouth. She looked at Dave, tears welling in her eyes.

"Dave!" she exclaimed. "She just said Dada!"

"I know," Dave replied, amazed. "And to think, I almost missed this!"

"Well, for some reason you came back here," Lilian replied softly, watching as Sophia rolled over and closed her eyes, her breathing evening out. "She's amazing, isn't she?"

Dave wrapped his arms around Lilian, holding her closely. "She is. I just really wish I had a normal job so I could see her everyday."

Lilian sighed, resting her head against Dave's chest. "I wish you could be home more often, too. But Dave… what we do isn't normal. We're on the road a lot and I don't want to expose that to Sophia. So as long as my parents and your mother are available…"

She trailed off, looking up at Dave with tear-filled green eyes.

"I know you love the business, but I also know you love me and Sophia. And as long as I know that, nothing else really matters."

* * *

End Part 5.4 


	27. The First Year 5

A huge thanks to Hanna for this idea…

* * *

Dave was awoken by the shrill ringing of his house phone, the noise causing him to jump slightly. He glanced down, not surprised to see Lilian dead to the world, curled up against his side, a content look on her face as she slept.

He glanced at the clock, frowning when he saw the time. 6:15 AM. Fumbling for the phone, he grabbed it and muttered, "Hello?"

"Dave…"

"Mom? What's wrong?" He was now fully awake and sitting up, the moan in his mother's voice alarming him.

"Dave. I think I have the flu," the elder Batista managed to groan.

Dave closed his eyes, unaware of the fact that Lilian was now awake as well. "Shit. Are you okay?"

"I have the flu, David. I feel like crap." Dave nearly smirked at the irritated tone in his mother's voice at the response. God, she reminded him of Lilian sometimes…

"Do you need anything?"

"I have an appointment at 9:00. I don't think I'm going to be able to make it on my own. I can barely stand."

"Okay. I'll take you," Dave replied, sitting up.

"I also don't think I'll be able to take Sophia for the weekend."

Dave blew a breath through his teeth, closing his eyes briefly. He knew that was coming, but still…

"Of course not, Mom. You aren't up to it."

"You're not mad?"

"Mom. Of course not. You've been nothing but a huge help for both Lilian and I. I think you're allowed to have something come up."

"Can Lilian's parents take her for the weekend?"

"They're in Hawaii right now."

"Dahlia and Matthew?"

"Not enough time to get her down to South Carolina." He heard his mom sigh, and he quickly added, "Mom. Don't worry about it. We'll figure out something."

"Okay."

"Look, I'll be over at eight to take you to the doctor's. Can you be ready?"

"Mm hmm."

Even as his mother murmured, Dave could sense she was falling asleep. _I guess I'll be there a little sooner,_ Dave thought wryly.

"I'll see you soon, Mom." She didn't reply, and Dave hung up the phone. He glanced down, not surprised to see Lilian's intense green eyes staring up at him. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

Lilian's eyes fluttered shut as Dave stood up, stretching. "What's wrong?" she asked tiredly.

"Mom thinks she has the flu."

Lilian stifled a groan at this, rolling over so she was laying on her back. Dave couldn't help but laugh to himself at her pajamas… a pair of plaid pink fleece pants and a matching solid pink top that read 'Queen.' "Is she okay?"

"She sounds miserable."

"Yeah, I bet," Lilian said softly, flopping an arm over her face. "What are we going to do about Sophia?"

"Yeah, I was wondering that too. Your parents and Dahlia and my brothers are all out of the question. Why don't you wait until I get back, then we'll ask Mr. and Mrs. Andrews? They love Sophia," Dave suggested, referring to their elderly neighbors.

"Oh, Dave, I love the Andrews but Mrs. Andrews just had hip surgery and Mr. Andrews is still recovering from pneumonia. I'd hate to shove a running one year old at them," Lilian replied. Seeing him open his mouth again, she quickly intervened, "And don't even suggest giving her to Kaitlyn for the weekend. Every time I see that girl she looks like she's been drinking."

Dave shook his head, knowing that Lilian was right about their twenty-two year old college student neighbor. He tugged on a shirt, leaving his pajama pants on the floor. "Well, look. We may have to take her to the show with us. Is that okay with you?"

"It'll have to do, Dave," Lilian replied sleepily. "We both have no personal time left."

"Okay," Dave said, bending down to kiss his wife on the forehead. He pulled the covers up to her chin as he did so, making sure to grab his cell phone and keys.

"Love you," Lilian murmured.

"Love you too. I'll call you when I get Mom home to let you know what's going on."

"Okay… and Dave?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't leave your pants on the floor. You know I hate that."

With a smirk, he bent down, picking up the garment. Thinking, he glanced between the hamper and Lilian. With a grin, he threw them at his wife, taking off out of the bedroom.

He didn't, however, miss her yell of indignation as they hit her square in the face.

* * *

"How's my little angel doing?" Lilian cooed as she carried Sophia into the arena, the one year old looking around with wide eyes.

"Big!" Sophia said, looking around.

"Yes, sweetie, it is big," Dave replied with a chuckle. "See where Momma and Daddy work? Well, one of the places, that is."

"Wok!" Sophia replied gleefully, holding her arms out for Dave. "Dada!"

"Oof. Kiddo, you're getting too heavy," Lilian groaned as she handed her daughter off to Dave, rolling her neck slightly.

"Well, you're the one who keeps feeding her those Soap-uh-pie-la-las," Dave replied.

Lilian shook her head, putting her hands on her hips as she playfully glared at her husband. "David. That's not how you say it. It's So-"

Lilian didn't finish her sentence however, because an excited squeal broke her concentration. "Lilian Anne Batista! You did not tell me you were bringing the little one with you!" Trish said excitedly, dropping her bags and running to the couple.

"It was a last minute thing," Lilian explained with a laugh when Trish snatched Sophia from Dave, the little girl giggling as Trish spun her in a circle before hugging her to her chest.

"Oh, how's my little doll baby?" Trish cooed, kissing Sophia's cheek.

"Tiss!" Sophia squealed.

"Oh! She knows my name!" Trish exclaimed.

"Actually, 'Tiss' means 'Kiss,'" Dave explained proudly, jumping slightly at the glare that was sent his way by both blondes. "What?"

"It can mean whatever Trish wants," Lilian defended her friend playfully. "In the meantime, we all have meetings to get to. So, uh, who's gonna watch Sophia?"

"I don't know," Dave replied, realizing that the pre-Raw meetings were about to begin and they didn't have anyone to baby sit during that time.

As if right on cue, Stephanie rounded the corner, a confused look on her face as she looked over some papers. The youngest McMahon looked up, a smile spreading on her face when she saw Sophia. "Hey, there, Princess," Stephanie said softly, affectionately tickling Sophia. "What are you doing here?"

"Long story short, my mom has the flu and we couldn't find a sitter," Dave explained. "And now, all of us need to get to meetings and uh… we don't know what to do with Sophia."

"Have no fear, Godmom is here," Stephanie said without hesitation, holding her arms out for the baby. Trish handed her over, watching as Stephanie shifted the girl to her hip. "Who wants to work on the script for the World Heavyweight Championship anyways?" Stephanie cooed to Sophia.

"Uh, considering the World Heavyweight Champion is right here, I'd suggest you," Trish said playfully, gesturing to Dave with a cock of her head.

Stephanie opened her mouth to retort, only to be cut off when Sophia squealed, "Tiss!" To emphasize her point, she puckered her lips and closed her eyes.

"See, I told you it meant kiss!" Dave exclaimed, pointing his finger at Lilian.

"David," she began, only to be cut off by Stephanie.

"Uh, as much as I know you two love to prove each other wrong, the meetings start in five minutes. So you three need to scat. Leave your stuff here. I'll make sure it gets to your locker rooms."

"Okay," Lilian said wistfully, kissing Sophia on the forehead. "I love you, baby. Be good for Stephanie." She kissed her daughter again, then added, "Oh, Steph, if she-"

"Oh, for God's sake, Lilian," Trish exclaimed, mocking exasperation as she grabbed Lilian's hand and pulled her away. "We won't be gone more than an hour. Calm down."

"Okay, okay," she agreed with a small laugh. "I'm coming."

But neither of them missed the fact that Dave lingered for a few more moments, pressing a kiss to his daughter's forehead before lumbering off to his meeting.

* * *

"Ooh! Let's take a picture of her dressed as Kane!" Torrie giggled, pawing through the props box and finding a child sized Kane mask.

She handed it off to Molly, who shook her head. "You know, guys, Dave and Lilian will kill us if they find out we've been dressing their daughter up as wrestlers," the older diva said with a sigh, nonetheless pulling the mask over Sophia's head, the youngest Batista looking up at her with a curious look.

"Eh, it'll be fine," Trish said with a shrug, pawing through the box as well. "What they won't know won't hurt them," she added, giggling as she pulled out a shirt. "Oh, my God. It's a miniature Randy Orton t-shirt!"

"Look at that! It's adorable!" Stacy giggled. "She'll look adorable in that!"

"One of these days Lilian will see these pictures and I don't want to be within fifty miles," Christy Hemme chimed in, shaking her head. "I think anyone within those fifty miles will have permanent hearing loss."

"Eh, it'll be fine," Lita replied with a shrug. "But I don't think this is what Lilian had in mind when she asked us to watch Sophia during the last match and dark match."

"Admit it, Red. You're having a ball," Trish said, snapping a picture of Sophia in the Kane mask. "And this picture is so cute!"

She showed the picture to Molly, who smiled. "That is cute," Molly agreed. "Though it is kind of creepy that the props department has a child sized Kane mask."

"Yeah, I'm not sure about that one," Trish replied, flipping through the pictures. "Oh, my God, you guys. Look at these. They are so adorable."

All of the divas crowded around Trish squealing at the pictures.

They were so busy looking that no one noticed Sophia shimmied off the chair and made her way to the door, pushing it open and walking into the hallway.

About a minute later, Stacy glanced back at where Sophia had been sitting. She did a double take, however, when she realized that Sophia wasn't there. "Guys!" the tall blonde called urgently. "Where's Sophia?"

The laughter stopped immediately as six sets of eyes diverted to where Sophia had been seated.

"Oh, God. Now we're really going to die," Molly moaned, placing a hand on her forehead.

"Okay, everyone. Calm down," Trish ordered, though her voice held a note of panic in it. "She's only one. She couldn't have gotten too far."

"That's the key, Trish!" Christy said. "She's only one! That means she gets into everything!"

"Okay, okay, everyone," Lita said calmly when all the divas began talking. "Arguing isn't going to help. How about we split up and meet at the gorilla in ten minutes. Hopefully one of us will have the little one and we won't have to explain to Dave and Lilian why their daughter ran away at the tender age of one. Most kids wait till they are teenagers to do that."

"Okay," the girls agreed, setting off out the door.

Ten minutes later, the girls all appeared at the gorilla, breathless as they looked hopefully at each other, six faces falling when they realized that none of them had Sophia.

"Oh, Lord. We're really going to die," Christy cried.

"Look, she'll show up," Stacy said. "We'll arrange a search with the guys and agents and hopefully find her before Dave and Lilian get back here."

"What about Dave and Lilian?"

All of the girls shrieked at Lilian's voice, turning as the blonde and her husband stepped out from behind the curtain. "Lilian!" Trish sputtered, walking quickly over to her friend. "What are you doing back here?"

Lilian raised an eyebrow as she looked at her obviously distressed friend. "Uh… the show's over Trish. That means I get to go home too."

"Of course," Trish laughed, a little too forcefully. "That was a good show! Wasn't it? What was your favorite part?"

Lilian frowned at Trish, glancing back at Dave, who too had a confused look on his face. "I don't know. Now spill."

"Spill? Spill what? I don't have a drink." Trish laughed loudly, nervously.

"Trish," Lilian said, placing her hands on her hips and giving her friend her patented angry Latina look. "What's going on?"

Trish sighed, shaking her head. "Look, Lilian. Don't get mad. We… uh, we…"

"Trish!" Lilian exclaimed. "Spill it!"

"We… we kinda lost Sophia," Trish said in a rush, closing her eyes and waiting for the verbal tirade.

There was complete silence for a few moments, then Trish dared to open her eyes. She was surprised to see Lilian and Dave smiling. Then, they began laughing.

"Trish, what are you talking about? Mr. McMahon is standing right there, holding her," Dave said, shaking his head.

Trish and the other divas spun around, shocked to see the chairman holding Sophia, who was still donning the Kane mask.

"Good joke, guys," Lilian added, wiping her eyes. "I don't get where the Kane mask comes in, but okay. Good one."

Vince walked up to the group, holding Sophia. "Hey ladies. I found this little one wand-"

"Oh, look at the time!" Trish cut in, taking Sophia from the chairman and gently tugging the mask off. "The little one needs to go to bed. It's been a long day."

"For who? Her or us?" Stacy muttered, shaking her head at the close call.

Trish handed Sophia off to Lilian, who accepted her with a shake of the head. "You guys kill me."

"And you'd really be killing us if you knew what just happened," Molly murmured.

"What was that?" Dave asked.

"Oh, nothing."

Vince looked between his employees, shaking his head. "All of you drive me nuts sometimes," he said with a slight smile. "Have a good night. I'll see everyone later."

However, as he turned to walk away, a little voice cut through the air, causing Vince to turn around again.

"Tiss!"

* * *

End Part 5.5

End The First Year

Next in the Series: Where We Are Now


	28. Where We Are Now 1

It was a beautiful Sunday morning, the day before the fourth of July. Many people were enjoying the beautiful weather, simply walking their dogs or taking in the gorgeous sight of the Washington Monument at the end of The Mall in Washington D.C. In addition, many people were taking advantage of the weather to do a little bit of running; that's what Lilian and Dave Batista were doing.

"I bet you I can beat you to the end of this path," Lilian called to Dave, gracefully lengthening her strides as she pulled ahead of her husband, leaving him several paces behind as she jogged through the pebbled pathways.

"Ugh," Dave managed to groan, trying to ignore the stitch in his side. "I bet you can too!"

"Mr. Batista… are you going weak on me?"

"Hey! That's not fair. You're a lot younger than me and we've already ran four miles today!"

"Oh, what's the matter, old man? Can't keep up with me?" Lilian teased, reaching down to adjust the waistband of her black nylon shorts as she ran.

"Old man?" Dave asked indignantly, quickly and desperately lengthening his strides to pull ahead of her. He nearly tripped in his haste to get ahead of her but managed to stay upright and in front of her. "How's that for an old man?" he bragged.

"Oh, man," Lilian called carelessly, smirking at the sweat covered back of his t-shirt. "That's pretty impressive. I guess you got me-" She waited until he was a little further ahead of her, then put on a burst of speed, surpassing him easily to reach the end of the path first. "-Old man," she finished with an airless giggle.

Lilian slowed down, gasping in surprise when Dave gently crashed into her, falling down to the ground and pulling her with him.

Lilian landed on his chest, laughing as he encircled his arms around her waist, pinning her to him. "You okay there?" she asked, feeling his rapidly beating heart against her chest.

Dave merely groaned in response, his breath tickling Lilian's throat as she relaxed against his chest. She allowed her brace covered left knee to rest against the soft blades Dave was laying in, bending the limb slightly. She was relieved that there was no pain at this action.

Unfortunately, due to an old volleyball injury, she now had to wear a protective brace, much like what Stone Cold Steve Austin used to wear in the ring, on her knee when she worked out to protect her leg from injury. While Lilian never let this slow her down, she did have to admit that it sometimes interfered with her tanning while she went jogging…

But still, it was a relief that it wasn't hurting her because the recovery sometimes sucked.

Several moments passed before Dave muttered, "Lilian. Remind me the next time that you suggest we work out together, we stick to the weightlifting part of it."

Lilian giggled, kissing his forehead before replying, "But Dave… you know I can't lift that much!"

"Ah… but you know you like it when I lift heavy amounts of weights," Dave answered, closing his eyes briefly. "You find me incredibly sexy."

"Actually, it scares the shit out of me," Lilian confessed. "I'm always afraid you're going to overdo it."

"Well, what about our kickboxing matches?"

"Last time we kickboxed I was limping for a week because someone," Lilian emphasized the word someone to remind him that it was actually him, "Kicked me in my bad knee."

"Lily," he drew out her name, but Lilian quickly identified the noise as a whine. "That was an accident and you know it still makes me feel really bad."

"I know… but it's still fun to tease you about it. Besides, I got my revenge."

"Don't remind me," Dave muttered, his hand going down to instinctively cover a very sensitive part of his anatomy that Lilian's foot had purposely made contact with after he accidentally landed a roundhouse kick to the side of her knee.

"Yeah," Lilian replied, an evil smirk coming across her face as she remembered the two of them writhing in pain on the mat in the gym. "Now would you mind letting me go?" she asked softly.

"Sure," Dave answered, nevertheless keeping his hands wrapped around her tiny frame.

Lilian shook her head, wiggling out from underneath his grip and sitting on the grass next to him, pulling the straps of the brace off and sliding the metal piece down past her muscular calf and off. Lilian left the brace on the grass as she bent her knee upwards and ran her fingers across his forehead, shaking her head when she noticed that he was attempting to hide a smile.

"You okay?" Lilian asked softly.

"Mmm," he merely grunted, enjoying the feel of her fingers and the warm Sunday afternoon sunshine. He allowed his arms to flop down, his left hand finding its way over to rest on her hip.

"I didn't mean to push you so hard," Lilian murmured.

He cracked open an eye, staring at Lilian for a moment. "You weren't pushing me too hard, Sugar. In fact, I appreciate everything you do to help me train and keep in shape."

"Really?" Lilian asked shyly.

"Really. I feel much younger when I'm exercising."

"While you're exercising?" she repeated. "What about afterwards?"

"Then my body begins protesting and I feel eighty years older."

Lilian giggled, opening her mouth to reply when her cell phone rang. Pulling it out of the zip in pocket of her shorts, she flipped her phone open.

Frowning, she looked at the number, not recognizing it. It was a 212 area code, New York City. She had a couple doctor's there, so she chose to answer it.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Yes, Lilian?"

She glanced at the phone again, trying to remember if she ever spoke to someone from that number before. "Yes, speaking."

"This is Michael Matthews from Universal Records."

"Oh," Lilian said, her breath catching for a moment. "Mr. Matthews. It's a pleasure to speak to you again."

"Likewise, Lilian. And please. Call me Mike."

"Yes sir, uh, Mike. How can I help you?" Lilian hoped her voice didn't sound too eager.

"Well, Lilian, I have good news."

"Really?" her voice came out in a squeak this time.

"We played your samples that you recorded in 2002 for a group of executives and they really like it," Mike told her.

"They did?"

"Yeah," Mike replied with a laugh. "Try not to sound so shocked. You know you have an amazing voice."

Lilian blushed deeply, relieved the music producer couldn't see her right now. "Thanks," she finally answered. "I appreciate that."

"Well, it's the truth," Mike said. "The executives liked your samples and want you to begin work on your album as soon as possible."

"What?" Lilian all but screeched into the phone, ignoring the curious look Dave was giving her as he sat up. "Are you kidding me?!"

"No, Lilian, I promise. I know better than to mess with a fiery Latina!"

"Oh, my God. I can't believe this!" Lilian gushed, covering her mouth with her hand. "When?"

"Well, they want to meet with you first."

"Okay. When will we do that?"

"Our next available appointment is Monday, July 11."

"Monday?" Lilian asked disappointedly. While that was only a week away, her thoughts immediately went to her WWE job. "What after that?"

"Not until Tuesday, August 30th. And it's best not to keep the execs waiting," he gently told Lilian.

"I know, I know," she replied. "I'll take the July 11th appointment. I'm sure Mr. McMahon will allow me the time off. I'm sure I can do something to write me out of the script for a week or two."

"Fabulous," Mike answered. "I'll see you then?"

"See you then. Thanks, Mike!"

"You're welcome, Lilian. And congratulations. I know that you've been waiting for this for a long time!"

"Yeah. Take care. I'll see you Monday."

Flipping her phone shut, she let out an excited squeal as she hugged Dave fiercely, knocking the big man back a few inches. "Whoa, baby!" he chuckled. "Either that was your favorite Raw referee or your album producer. And I'm thinking it was the latter because your favorite zebra never elicits this much excitement from you."

"Oh, Dave, that was Mike Matthews, from Universal! They're ready to work on my album!" Lilian told him.

"Oh, honey, that's wonderful!" Dave exclaimed, hugging her back. "It's about time they got some sense and decided to work on the soon-to-be number one selling album of all time."

"Oh, you're too kind," Lilian giggled. "I am so ready for this album to be done and out!"

"Don't rush it, Lil," Dave warned. "Make sure you take your time with each track and put your best into the songs."

"Okay, Mom," she agreed, kissing him again. "I appreciate that advice."

"Speaking of Mom, we need to get the little one from her so she can go bowling," Dave said, easily standing and extending his hand down to Lilian to help her as well.

She accepted the gesture and was easily pulled up. "Why thank you," Lilian said, bending down to grab her discarded brace as well. "Want to race back to the car?" she asked mischievously.

"Oh, God," Dave moaned. "No. Please, don't do that to me. I've had enough of your races today. Let's take a nice, leisurely walk back to the car."

"Okay, okay. But can I float?"

"Float?" he repeated.

"Yeah, cause right now I'm on Cloud Nine!"

With that, she wrapped her arm around Dave's waist, her husband matching her actions, and they began their trek back to the car

* * *

End Part 6.1 


	29. Where We Are Now 2

Lilian walked into the venue for the night's show, holding Dave's hand tightly, a wide smile on her face as she made her way through the halls.

"Hello, Lilian," Lita said, smiling at the diva as she made her way through the halls. She paused, taking in Lilian's happy look. "Okay, either you just got some or something really good happened. Though getting some would fall in that second category anyway…"

"Lita!" Lilian exclaimed, blushing the same scarlet color as Dave.

"What? Married people can have sex too!" Lita replied, holding her hands up defensively.

"Wow… can we end this conversation here?" Lilian asked, her cheeks still burning at the fiery redhead's implications.

"Is that what people think when we walk in the arena?" Dave pondered. "I mean, do they think we look happy because we just had sex? Cause that only happens once in awhile."

"Dave, that would fall under the category of 'ending the conversation!'" Lilian exclaimed, glaring at Dave.

"Ew, Dave. Did you really need to say that?" Lita asked, scrunching up her nose at the idea of her friends having sex.

"Lita Dumas!"

"Okay, okay. But you need to tell me why you look so happy, Blondie," Lita requested, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, I got a call yesterday," Lilian began, feeling the excitement rise in her stomach again.

"From who?"

"From Mike Matthews."

Lita frowned for a moment, trying to place the name. Realization dawned on her face finally as she exclaimed, "Your record producer, Mike Matthews?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh, my God!" Lita exclaimed, enveloping Lilian in a huge hug. "This is awesome! It's been so long! When do you start?"

"I'm supposed to have a meeting with Mike and the executives next Monday. That is if Vince allows me to have off," Lilian trailed off.

"Oh, he will," Dave and Lita said at the same time before glancing at one another.

"Hey, we're the married couple here. We're supposed to be saying the same thing at the same time," Lilian teased playfully.

Lita laughed before continuing, "He will. Vince knows how important your music is to you."

"I hope so," Lilian said with a sigh. "I've been waiting for this for so long!"

"Tell me about it! I've had to listen to your lyrics for three years now!" Lita said, adding hastily, "Not that that's a bad thing. Your lyrics are fabulous."

"I knew what you meant, Li," Lilian replied with a laugh. "And I would love to keep gushing like a little girl, but we need to get to Vince's office to let him know."

"Okay," Lita replied, hugging Lilian closely. "Any chance you'll be needing a person to do a duet with?" she asked hopefully.

"I don't know, Lita," Lilian laughed.

"Well, call me if you do! Cause you know how much I love to sing too!"

"Yeah, I know," Lilian agreed. "I'll keep you in mind."

"Alright. Take care, Lilian. And good luck. He'll be fine with it."

* * *

Lilian and Dave made their way to Vince's office, the little blonde only hesitating briefly as she raised her hand to knock on the door. 

"Come in," Vince called, his voice tinged with laughter.

Lilian could see why when she pushed the door open, as Hunter, Stephanie, and Linda were sitting there with him. "Lilian, Dave," he greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"Uh, I can come back later if needed," Lilian said hesitantly.

"Nonsense. We were actually just goofing around and not doing work," Vince replied with a wink. "So how can I help you?"

"Well," Lilian began, smiling at the four in front of them. "I got a call from my album producer yesterday. They want to begin work on it."

"Lilian! That's fabulous!" Linda was the first to reply, walking around Vince's desk to give the little blonde a big hug.

"Yeah! That's great," Stephanie agreed, hugging her friend as well.

"Congratulations, Lilian. I'm really happy for you," Vince chimed in.

"Thank you. Thanks a lot," she replied, grinning at Hunter when the wrestler flashed a thumbs up sign to her. "I appreciate it. It's been a long time coming."

"Yeah," Vince agreed. "So how can I help you? Do you want time to promote it on Raw? Cause that's yours."

"Wow," Lilian breathed. "I appreciate that, Mr. McMahon. But that's a far way off. I have to record the thing first."

"Okay."

"I, uh," she began, glancing at Dave, who smiled at her in a gesture to keep talking. She brought her eyes back to Vince's before continuing, "I need next Monday off. I have a meeting in New York at two o'clock in the afternoon. I know it's short notice, but-"

"You've got it," Vince replied automatically.

"Really?" Lilian asked, surprised she had been granted the time off so easily.

"Of course," Vince said with a wave of his hand. "Lilian. You rarely miss time. You never cause trouble backstage, you do signings without a second thought, you're so nice to the fans, and you're a good sport about things we ask you to do. Not to mention the fact that you never complain about the angles we give you. You've been a great sport about the storyline with Viscera."

"Well, I do have my own personal bodyguard to protect me," Lilian said with a laugh, placing a hand on Dave's chest.

Vince chuckled too, then stated, "I think I can handle letting you off a week."

Lilian beamed, then said softly, "Thank you. How are we going to write me out of the show for a week?"

Vince thought for a moment, glancing between Dave and Hunter. "I think I have an idea," he said slowly.

"What is it?" Lilian asked, unable to keep the wary tone out of her voice. Last time he had that look in his eyes it involved her getting shoved halfway across the ring by Trish.

Vince frowned for a few seconds, gathering his thoughts as he looked between the two wrestlers and ring announcer.

"For God's sake, what Vince?" Linda finally exploded, causing everyone in the room to jump at the small woman's outburst.

Vince composed himself, then said, "How about during Hunter and Dave's match tonight, the action spills to the outside and in trying to get away from Dave, Hunter pulls you in front of him as Dave's running?"

"What?" Dave asked, his voice louder than he realized. "You… you can't possibly think…"

"That's a good idea," Lilian said slowly, cutting off Dave's protests.

"It is. It allows Hunter to play more into the 'heel' role and it teases on the fact that you two are actually in a relationship."

"Okay," Lilian agreed, glancing at Dave, not surprised to see her husband looking as if he was about ready to explode.

"Lilian!" Dave sputtered. "How can you…"

"Dave, Hunter's been careful with me before," Lilian replied calmly. "Remember Summer Slam last year?"

"Of course I remember it," Dave snapped. "But there's a big difference between being shoved to the ground and sandwiched between two men who are over two hundred and fifty pounds!"

"I know, Dave," Lilian soothed. "But I'll be fine. I trust you and Hunter to not hurt me."

"Okay, fine," Dave finally conceded. "But I'm not happy with this. And we're gonna be practicing all day long."

* * *

Lilian choked back a sob, trying to will her stomach to settle as she forced herself to stand back up, laying her forehead against the cool metal of the wall in the women's locker room for a second as she tried to get the nausea to go away. 

"Damn it," Lilian cursed. "Figures my nerves would kick in ten minutes before I had to be out there for Raw."

She walked out of the bathroom and to her bag, pulling out the bottle of Pepto Bismol that she always carried. "Looks like you'll be my friend tonight," Lilian said to the bottle, measuring out the dose of the disgusting pink liquid she needed.

Making a face, she swallowed the medicine, hoping that it was going to do the trick, at least until her segment with Hunter and Dave was over. Then, she could come to the back and puke her guts out all night long…

With a sigh, she tossed the bottle back in the bag and made her way to the gorilla where the officials and stage hands were standing. "Hey, Lil," Mike Chioda said softly. "Be careful out there," he told her.

"Careful is my middle name," Lilian replied casually, relieved to see the Pepto working so quickly as her stomach settled.

"No it's not. It's Anne," Mike replied quickly, smiling at her. "And need I remind you that you spent the night at the emergency room after Jamal Samoan Dropped you? Or that you were limping after Jarrett put you in the figure four?"

"Hey! Michael, neither of those things were my fault and you know it!" Lilian exclaimed.

"Uh huh. Sure. Anyways, I'll be out there with the medical technicians to assist you to the back, okay?"

"Alright," Lilian agreed. "Thanks."

"Welcome," Mike replied as the music crew fired up her music. "See you out there!"

* * *

Lilian sat quietly, not talking to Marc Yeaton that much, which actually was a rare occasion. Was she crazy for actually agreeing to go through with this little storyline? She wondered, fiddling with the base of her microphone, flipping it on and off every few moments. 

"No, Lilian," she said softly to herself. "Everything will be just fine."

"Talking to yourself again?" Marc teased her, glancing at the action in the ring before bringing his gaze back to Lilian.

"Yeah, sort of," Lilian agreed.

"Getting nervous?" the timekeeper asked.

"A little," she replied honestly.

"You'll be fine," Marc reassured her.

"I hope so," Lilian replied with a sigh.

Glancing back to the match in the ring, she continued her brooding.

Then, realization dawned, and a cold wave of fear washed over her.

* * *

End Part 6.2 


	30. Where We Are Now 3

Just to let you guys know, this is the second to last chapter of the story… so please read and review! It is much appreciated…

* * *

Lilian felt a cold wave of fear wash over her body, Marc's ringing of the bell to indicate the end of the match not registering for several long moments.

"Lilian! Announce the winner!" Marc hissed urgently.

She started, glancing in the ring and seeing Chad Patton raise Chris Jericho's hand. "Here is your winner of the match, Chris Jericho!" she announced, quickly turning off the microphone and turning to Marc.

"I need you to get in touch with the back. I can't do the angle."

"Why?" Marc asked, wincing at the look Lilian gave him in response.

"Does it matter?! Just get in touch with the back, Marc!" Lilian snapped.

Marc hastily pressed the button to the headset, frowning. "What the hell?" he muttered, glancing back at Lilian. "It's not working."

"Crap," Lilian muttered. "Can you keep trying?"

"Sure... but Lilian…"

"Thanks Marc," she answered hastily, standing up so she could climb into the ring. The angle was supposed to go down after the next match…

"Mikey," she said nervously as the senior referee held the ropes open for her.

"What's wrong, Lilian?" he asked, alarmed at the suddenly pale look on her face.

"I need you to do me a favor," she said, brushing a piece of hair back from her forehead.

"Of course. What's up?"

She opened her mouth to reply, only to have the lights turn back on and Edge's music kick in. "Oh, for God' sake," she muttered, knowing they were live and she couldn't relay her message to Mike.

Lilian announced the match as calmly as possible, exiting the ring when Edge's opponent made his way out.

"Any luck getting in touch with the back?" she asked Marc, who shook his head in response.

"No… we seem to be having audio problems."

Lilian sighed, crossing her arms nervously. She fiddled with her wedding ring, biting her bottom lip as she watched the match. "Any luck?" she asked a few moments later, seeing his fingers touch the buttons again.

"No, Lil," Marc replied. "I'm sorry… what's wrong?"

"I can't say," Lilian answered. "But I can't do this… I can't."

"Okay," Marc said, even more confused at her cryptic reply. "I'll keep trying."

A few minutes later, Edge won the match. "Here is your winner, Edge!" she announced. Mike held up the victor's arm, then made his way out of the ring and over to Lilian. "Okay, what's wrong?" he asked, noticing the distressed look on her face.

"I need you to-" Lilian began, only to groan in frustration when an obviously intoxicated fan jumped the barrier and ran in the ring, dancing around.

"Shit," Mike muttered, sliding in the ring and swiftly tackling the man down, security a couple steps behind him. The crowd cheered for this, beginning to chant 'Asshole' at the man who was now under a pile of security.

Lilian shook her head, muttering about stupid overzealous wrestling fans as she watched Mike escort the man out of the arena.

By the time that excitement was over, it was time for her to get back in the ring and announce the next match… Triple H versus Dave Batista. She glanced at Marc, hoping that he could get in touch with the back and let Dave and Hunter know she couldn't do the angle, but the apologetic look on the man's face was enough to let her know what she feared…

Shaking her head, Lilian made her way into the ring. For a moment, she had a glimmer of hope that perhaps Dave would be announced first and she could somehow relay the message to him. Nevertheless, Motorhead cued up first, and Lilian had to bite back a groan before spouting the weights and hometowns off with ease. Her hands felt clammy as she exited the ring, trying to send a message to Dave through her eyes.

He merely took in her nervous look and winked at her, thinking that the little blonde was just nervous.

"Oh, God," Lilian mumbled seconds later as the action spilled to the outside of the ring. Standing up, she tried to move behind her chair to get some distance between herself and the Game… hell, she was even ready to jump the barrier at this point. However, Hunter grabbed her arm as she began to make her way back, swiftly yanking her in front of him as Dave began to charge at his opponent...

Closing her eyes and thanking God that Hunter's grip had loosened, she made a split second decision. At the last possible moment, she jerked to her right, trying to get out from in front of Hunter.

It almost worked.

Dave's right knee collided painfully with her left one, sending the little announcer falling as it buckled. She braced herself for the fall, surprised when she landed in Marc's lap. The timekeeper started, managing to grab her before she went sailing into the table. Still, her elbow cracked with the bell's sharp edge, a dull ring echoing through the arena as Dave's head collided with Hunter's and the pair went down to the pads outside the ring.

Lilian slid to the floor when Marc's grip loosened, clutching at her knee as a sob rose to her throat. She noticed Dave's wide eyed look, the gaze he was giving Lilian one of pure concern. She could tell that he wanted to check on her, and she shook her head, tears filling her green eyes as she looked at Hunter.

The wrestler was looking back at her, confused as well as blood flowed from his nose where Dave's head had hit it. Hunter shook his head, trying to get some sense of the situation. He stood, moving to stomp on Dave before throwing his opponent back in the ring.

"Lilian!" Mike exclaimed, running around the side of the ring a few seconds later. "Jesus Christ! What the hell happened?"

"I was trying to tell you that I couldn't go through with the angle and wanted you to tell that to Dave and Hunter too," Lilian said miserably, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks.

"Okay, shh…" Mike said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"No… my knee really hurts," Lilian told him tearfully.

"Okay, let me see," Mike soothed, placing his hands over hers and removing them.

"Is it swelling?" Lilian asked fearfully, glancing up at Marc as the timekeeper kneeled next to them as well, pressing a handkerchief against her elbow. It was then that she realized that her elbow was bleeding and that there was blood staining her white shirt.

"Lil, try not to worry," Mike said softly, trying to divert her attention.

"Mike," Lilian said sternly, looking at the referee with a hard gaze. "We've been friends for a few years now. Please, be honest with me."

The referee sighed, shaking his head. "It doesn't look too pretty," Mike told her.

Lilian sighed, thinking that the pain in her knee was ten times worse then when the original injury had occurred several years ago. She closed her eyes and took a shaky breath, listening as the trainer made his way over to the group. "Hey, there, honey," the trainer said. "That didn't look too pretty. Are you okay?"

"My knee hurts," Lilian replied, opening her eyes slowly before adding, "And my elbow."

"Okay," he replied. "Let me see your elbow first." Marc removed the handkerchief, showing him the wound. "Okay. You may need a few stitches for that little cut," he confirmed. "Now let me take a look at your knee."

Mike moved back, allowing the trainer to check out her knee. "Okay," he said to himself, placing one hand underneath to bend the limb upwards.

Lilian was unable to stop the cry of pain that emitted from her mouth, drawing a worried glance between the three men. "Okay, Lilian. We're gonna get you out of here, okay?"

"Okay," Lilian replied, wiping at her eyes with her uninjured arm.

"Can you walk?"

"I don't know," Lilian told him honestly.

"Okay, let's get you standing first, and if need be we'll get you a stretcher, okay?"

"'Kay," Lilian replied, accepting Mike and the trainer's outstretched hands. She leaned against Mike when she got to her feet, holding her injured knee up so she didn't put any pressure on it as the referee wrapped his arm around her waist so she wouldn't fall.

"Can you walk?" the trainer asked, taking a hold of her elbow and placing his hand over the handkerchief that was still there, putting pressure against the still bleeding wound.

"I'm gonna try my damndest," Lilian answered, managing a small smile for the two men.

"Okay," the trainer said. "How about you lean against Mike and he'll support you while I keep the pressure on your elbow? Try not to put that much weight on your leg."

"Okay," Lilian replied shakily. She turned her attention back to Marc. "Thank you," she said softly.

"No problem… you take care of yourself," Marc answered seriously.

With the support of Mike and the trainer, she slowly made her way to the back to a round of applause from the crowd. "Oh, God," she moaned as she made it through the curtain, collapsing to the ground as a wave of pain coursed through her knee.

Several officials rushed over, one of the medics pushing a wheelchair. "Come on, Lilian, stand for a second so we can get you in the wheelchair," Mike said softly. "It's a little more comfortable than the floor."

Lilian merely groaned in response, nevertheless allowing him to help her to stand again. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, leaning against the referee and holding her leg in the air. Carefully, Mike maneuvered her to the chair, helping her to sit down less than gracefully before lifting lift her rapidly swelling knee up to rest against the metal support of the wheelchair.

She heard the bell ring, signifying the end of the match as Vince rounded the corner, fury etched on his face. Stephanie was a few steps behind, but the look on her face was one of worry.

"What the hell was that?" he laid into Lilian the second he saw her.

"Mr. McMahon…"

"You know what? I don't really care!" Vince yelled. "Who the hell do you think you are to change an angle that I made?"

Lilian flinched, the look on her face one that Dave did not miss as he made his way through the curtain, Hunter a few steps behind.

"Hey! Don't you dare yell at her!" Dave yelled back, stepping in between his wife and his boss.

"You stay out of this!" Vince replied hotly, jabbing his finger in Dave's chest.

"Don't you dare touch me!" Dave snarled, knocking his boss's hand away.

"Guys," Lilian began, only to be cut off by Vince.

"You shut up! You've caused enough problems tonight," Vince all but growled at Lilian, and the little blonde jerked back as if she had been slapped.

Dave grabbed Vince's shirt, pushing the chairman back and into a wall. "Don't you talk to her that way!" Dave repeated, his knuckles turning white.

"Stop it!" Stephanie screamed as Hunter and Randy made their way to the pair, pulling Dave back, Randy stood in front of Dave, Hunter moving in front of Vince. A few more guys and referees placed themselves between the pair, not wanting an all out brawl to ensue.

"God damn it," Dave cursed, his glance going to Lilian, who had tears streaming down her face once again.

"Why did you take it upon yourself to change the angle?" Vince asked Lilian, his voice accusing as he glared at the little blonde.

Lilian jumped, then murmured, "I… I couldn't do it."

"So you got scared?" Vince snarled, leveling a glare at the blonde.

"Yes!" Lilian exclaimed. "I tried to-"

"Okay, great!" Vince cut her off. "So because you got 'scared'," he mocked, using his fingers to make quotations, "You caused yourself to get hurt. You also caused Hunter and your husband to get hurt too!"

Lilian glanced up at Dave, surprised to see a knot above his eyebrow, blood trickling freely. "God, baby, I'm sorry," Lilian whispered, forgetting everyone else in the room for a moment.

"Damn right you're sorry!" Vince exclaimed.

"I tried to-"

"Well, maybe next time you should try to do your damn job… the right one!"

Everyone began to talk at once again, but it was Stephanie's voice that rose above the others. "For God's sake, Daddy, shut the fuck up and allow the woman to talk!" she exclaimed, silence reigning among the crowd that had formed.

Vince's mouth opened in shock before he sputtered, "Young lady, you do NOT speak to me that way!"

"I'm not young, Dad," Stephanie replied angrily, glaring at her father with a look that she had certainly inherited. "And you need to shut up and let Lilian explain. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for what happened."

"There better be," Vince grumbled, bringing his attention back to the little blonde. "Well?"

Lilian took a deep breath, taking in the fact that Trish, Lita, and her other diva friends had converged along with most of the roster to watch the fireworks display that was going on.

"I tried to get Marc to call back here to tell you all that I couldn't go through with the angle… that… that something had come up. But there was a problem and he couldn't get through. Something about the audio."

She glanced a crew member, who nodded nervously. "It's been out most of the show," he told Vince.

Lilian nodded to the man, then turned her attention back to Vince, who was still glaring at her. "I tried to tell Mikey, but I couldn't get the message off to him thanks to the drunk fan."

Mike nodded his agreement, placing a hand briefly on Lilian's shoulder to show her that he was supporting her. "She did," Mike said to Vince, the referee's voice letting the chairman know he was serious and not just covering for the blonde.

"Okay, well, whatever," Vince said. "Why did you change it? Why couldn't you go through with the angle?"

She ignored his question, instead trading her gaze between Dave and Hunter. "I tried to hop the barrier, but you were too quick," she told Hunter, who nodded encouragingly to show her that he understood and wasn't mad at her. "I then decided to jump out of the way so I wouldn't be sandwiched. But we see how that turned out," she added miserably, gesturing to her knee, then Hunter's nose and Dave's eyebrow.

"That doesn't answer my question! Why couldn't you do the angle?!" Vince again cut in, earning an annoyed look from Lilian.

"It's personal."

"I'm not settling for that. Why?"

"She said it's personal!" Dave exclaimed, cutting into the conversation. "That means you, and everyone else standing here, does not need to know!"

"Well, she better start explaining if she wants to keep her job!"

Everyone started talking again, Dave and Vince once again engaging in a shouting match. Lilian rested her head in her hand, shaking her head, trying to will the nausea down that had risen suddenly.

She couldn't take it anymore.

"Everyone, shut up!" she yelled, tears welling in her eyes again. The noise continued, and she could tell Dave was about ready to charge through the crowd and hit Vince.

So, she yelled the one thing that she knew would make them stop.

"For God's sake, I'm pregnant!"

* * *

End Part 6.3

And to the couple of you who figured it out... how? LMFAO! I thought I was being subtle...


	31. Where We Are Now 4

Lilian yawned, glaring at the brace encasing her entire left knee from thigh to ankle. She threw the remote to the bed, thinking in frustration that there was nothing worth watching on television. Ellen was over with, the Golden Girls were not on for another hour, and she'd be damned if she was going to watch Jerry Springer.

The little blonde sighed, thinking back to what had put her in this position in the first place.

After the accident that occurred on Raw, Dave had rushed her to the emergency room when they found she couldn't move her knee without having pain shoot through her leg.

When she had an MRI done, the doctor had found that she had completely ripped her medial collateral ligament, also known as the MCL. The damage that had been done to her knee years ago had been worsened instantly, requiring immediate surgery to lessen the chance of her causing permanent damage.

Even though she was pregnant, the doctors still performed the surgery. There was no danger to the baby, and the most extreme precautions were used to ensure the health of the baby and Lilian would be okay.

And now, she was out of work for three to four months. Dave's mom had been a godsend, helping Lilian out at the house while Dave was traveling, but this was one of those rare slow weeks into the weekends where there were no house shows; therefore, Dave was home and currently doing Lord only knew what.

Her time off hadn't been fun, though. Lilian hated being laid up, hated having someone wait on her all the time. But that didn't compare to the worst thing of them all.

Lilian Batista was bored out of her skull.

With a sigh, she swung her legs over the bed, slowly inching herself down so her right foot was planted firmly on the ground. She grabbed her crutches resting against the wall and used the arm muscles that were certainly getting a workout the past two weeks to pull herself up carefully.

She slowly hobbled to the door, exiting and making her way into the kitchen where Dave was carefully adding spices to the spaghetti sauce he was preparing for dinner and Sophia was sitting in her high chair happily banging on a pot with a spoon and eating dry cheerios.

Lilian merely stood for a few moments, alternating between watching him cook and making silly faces at her daughter. It wasn't until the youngest Batista squealed, "Mama!" that Dave realized Lilian was there.

"Lilian!" he exclaimed, setting down the jar of thyme and walking over to her. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"I'm bored, Dave," she whined.

"Okay, okay, I know," he soothed. "Nothing good on TV?"

"Everything's over, not on yet, or trash."

"Did you read that book I bought you?"

"Yes."

"You could reread it… you know, catch the things you missed…"

"Dave. As much as I love Ric, I don't want to read his autobiography again."

Dave grinned sheepishly, guiding his wife to the kitchen table. He helped her sit and lifted her knee carefully to a chair before running back to the spaghetti, which was boiling in water that was threatening to spill over the sides of the pans.

"Have you tried writing lyrics?" Dave suggested, picking up a jar of oregano.

"Yeah… it's hard to concentrate, though."

Dave nodded sympathetically. "Well, if it makes you feel better, dinner is almost ready."

Lilian nodded, smiling at Sophia when her daughter beamed her in the head with a cheerio. "It smells delicious," she replied.

A few minutes later, dinner was ready and Dave served Lilian before settling down himself. They ate in silence fore several minutes before Dave sighed softly.

"What's wrong?" Lilian asked, setting her fork down on the edge of her plate.

"I… it's nothing, sweetie."

"Dave… please don't lie to me. I know when you're not telling the truth."

Dave chuckled wryly, putting his fork down too. "I just… I keep thinking of you and the baby. I just keep wondering what could have happened if you hadn't realized you were pregnant. Or… or if you didn't get out of the way in time. Or if… if something else would have happened."

"Hey," Lilian replied softly. "I realized it in time, I got out of the way in time, and nothing happened… well, besides this," she added on a second thought, glaring down at the braced knee. "And that's not your fault, either." Lilian cut him off before he could apologize for her leg yet again.

"But, Lil…"

"No 'but Lil's'," she answered. "It was inevitable. The surgeon told me before to get the damn thing operated on before but I ignored him. So don't go down that road."

"Okay," Dave said softly, staring down at the red sauce on his plate. "It was still my knee that hit yours, though…" he trailed off at her glare, falling silent again.

"What else are you thinking, baby?"

"I don't know, Sugar… just, your music career is taking off, you're getting ready to have our second child… I just want the best for you."

"I want what is best for you too, Dave."

"I know. And I appreciate that." Again, silence.

Lilian watched her husband push noodles around, obviously deep in thought. "So what do you suggest?" she finally pressed, reaching across the table to take his large hand in hers.

Dave looked up, smiling sheepishly at Lilian. "How do you know me so well?"

"I just do… besides, you have that 'I'm up to no good look' on your face."

Dave shook his head, then said, "Well, I've done a little bit of research."

"Oh, yeah?" Lilian asked, raising an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"Well…" Dave began. "It goes like this…"

* * *

Dave held the door of the arena open for Lilian, who carefully maneuvered her way through the opening on her crutches, not wanting to jar her surgically repaired knee. She had done that once today and the yell she let out could probably be heard somewhere in Africa.

"You okay, Sugar?" Dave asked quietly.

"I'm fine," Lilian replied, hobbling slowly through the hallway. Dave kept pace with her, not wanting to walk ahead of her.

"Lil!" she heard Trish squeal, her friend walking up to the little blonde and hugging her awkwardly. "How are you doing? How's your knee? How's the baby? What are you doing here? Do you need a hand?"

"Whoa, one question at a time," Lilian laughed. "I'm good; my knee's getting better everyday; the baby is fine, just making me a little nauseous; I have something to take care of; and no: that's what Dave is for."

"What do you need to take care of?" Trish asked, narrowing her eyes. She hadn't missed the slight hesitation in Lilian's voice.

"I'll tell you later, Blondie," Lilian replied.

"Okay," Trish replied with a frown. "Where are you headed?"

"Vince's office," Lilian replied. "He asked for copies of my medical bills and since Raw is in DC today, I decided to visit a few friends while I was here."

"Okay," Trish replied. "Take care of yourself. Let me know if you need anything?"

"Of course," Lilian replied.

With another hug exchanged between the ladies, Dave and Lilian continued their slow trek towards Vince's office. When they finally got there, Lilian looked pained and winded, but Dave didn't dare baby Lilian… he had learned while she was pregnant with Sophia not to hound her. She often became irritated easily.

Dave knocked on the door, holding Lilian's and his bags in one hand.

"Come in," a tired voice called.

Dave opened the door, allowing Lilian to enter first. "Hi, Mr. McMahon," Lilian said shyly, smiling at her boss.

"Lilian!" he exclaimed, standing up. "I didn't realize that you were going to be here tonight! Aren't you out until mid December? Have a seat! Get off that injured leg of yours!"

"Yes, sir," Lilian replied, settling down in a plush chair of the makeshift office Vince had. Dave stood behind her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "And I am out until at least mid December, early January at the latest."

"Well, what are you going here, then?" Vince continued, sitting back down.

Lilian swallowed, avoiding his look as she murmured, "I brought the medical bills I have so far, and uh… We, uh… Dave and I needed to talk to you."

"What is it?" Vince asked warily, his demeanor changing with the hesitation in Lilian's voice.

Lilian glanced at Dave, who spoke up softly. "Mr. McMahon… as you learned, the other day, Lilian is pregnant with our second child."

"Yes," Vince replied, flushing slightly at the memory of the outburst that had left pretty much the entire locker room stunned.

"Well, the past few days we've done quite a bit of talking. We want the best for our children, and with Lilian's singing career taking off, we're going to need someone to care for Sophia and the baby. So, uh…"

Dave hesitated, reaching into his bag to pull out a letter. "Here, sir. This explains everything." He handed it to Vince, who accepted it with raised eyebrows. Vince put on his glasses, opening the long envelope and pulling out a single sheet of paper.

Vince read it quickly, his frown deepening as his eyes ran over the words. When he was finished, he looked over the top of the paper at Lilian and Dave for a long time.

"Is this a joke?" Vince finally asked his employees.

"No, sir," Lilian and Dave spoke at the same time.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely, sir. Never more sure in my-" Dave began, pausing as he glanced at Lilian, "-our life."

Vince fell silent and continued to stare at the letter, only lifting his eyes when Lilian spoke softly.

"So that's it, sir. Effective February 25th of next year, Dave and I will no longer be a part of the WWE."

* * *

End Part 6.4

End Where We Are Now

End Series

Wow… it's over. Instead of giving some long boring speech of what this fic has meant to me, I'd just like to say thank you to a few people.

Thank you to Katy, Kristen, Hanna, and xheavilybroken (I'm sorry, I don't know what your name is!). Katy, thank you for your ideas, reviews, support, and pushing. And no, I'm not talking about Mrs. Belding pushing here. K, thank you too for your support and reviews. We go back awhile, and your friendship means a lot to me. Thanks to Hanna, who gave me awesome reviews and made me so happy with her fun reviews. And thanks to xheavilybroken… your reviews were great too. Thank you to everyone else who reviewed… they mean a lot to me, like any other writer.

Thank you too to two people who are not with me anymore… Grandmom and Poppy. It seems really fitting that I finished this fic on Veteran's Day and the day that I found out Poppy wanted me to have my Grandmom's wedding ring… it just is really personal to me and makes me feel happy that their true love could be an inspiration to me and mah little storeh.

That's it…

This has been my longest written and most reviewed fic. Thanks again to all who read it and all who reviewed. And please, feel free to review still. My goal is to get the reviews over 100, so go ahead! I ain'ts stoppin' ya!

Take care, and God Bless.


	32. Our Worst Nightmare 1

ZOMG WHAT IS THIS????? LMFAO, no, you're not seeing things… I have decided to update this one!! Enjoy!

* * *

"Everyday I just wanna be closer… closer… to you!" Lilian sang under her breath as she sat in the heavy New York City traffic, staring out across the Hudson River as she looked at the endless line of cars ahead of her attempting to get out of the city as well. She turned up the air conditioning, wondering just whose idea it was to have her work on her album in July.

The little blonde stifled a yawn, taking a swig of water before grabbing a stack of papers off the seat next to her, rifling through the lyrics of her songs.

Her cell phone rang a few minutes later, breaking Lilian out of her motion of glancing through the papers and inching forward. She smiled when she saw the caller ID: Dave Cell.

"Hey, Love," she said, cradling the phone between her ear and shoulder as she looked at the cars in front of her, wishing that they would magically disappear so she could be back home in D.C. before dinnertime.

"Momma?"

Lilian was surprised at the tiny voice that came over the phone. She knew that voice. Still, she asked, "Madeline Elizabeth, is that you?"

"Maddy, how did you get my phone?" Lilian heard Dave ask, then there were sounds of the phone shuffling. "Hello?"

"Hey, Dave," Lilian said softly, wiping her bangs out of her face.

"Sugar," he greeted, sitting down in a kitchen chair, helping his youngest daughter to climb into his lap, the tiny girl snuggling up to her father and attempting to pull the cell phone out of his hand.

"How are you?"

"I'm good. I can't wait to see you," Dave replied. "Where are you?"

"I'm still trying to get out of New York City," Lilian said, glaring at the cars ahead of her.

"Well, I'm sure you'll be home before you know it…"

"Yeah, hopefully before Thanksgiving," Lilian grumbled. "I swear, if I get stuck on the Jersey Turnpike and on 95 in Delaware, I'm gonna become the poster child for road rage…"

Dave chuckled, pulling the phone back from Maddy's grasp. "Well, Sugar, I think I better let your youngest talk before she pokes me in the eye to get the phone," he told her.

"Pokes you in the eye?" Lilian repeated. "Have you been letting her watch Ric Flair matches again?"

"Lilian, you're a dork," Dave replied. "That was cheesy. But I still love you."

"I love you, too," Lilian replied. "I'll see you soon."

"Momma!!" Maddy squealed into the phone. Lilian jumped slightly at the loud noise before replying.

"Well hello there Ms. Madeline!!" Lilian exclaimed. "How's my baby girl?"

"Good!" Maddy exclaimed into the phone, and Lilian winced at her child's loud statement. She needed to teach her daughter the proper level of speaking into the phone…

"Miss me?"

"Of course! Daddy won't let me watch Nemo!"

"Oh, we won't, will he?" Lilian asked with a laugh. "Well, I'll tell you what."

"What?"

"When I get home, we're gonna make Daddy and Sophia sit down and watch Nemo with us!"

"Yay!" Maddy cried. "Daddy, we're watching Nemo when Momma gets home!"

"...Wonderful," Lilian heard Dave say.

"Tell Daddy to stop, or else we're watching it in Espanol."

"Momma said to stop or she's making you watch it in Istanbul!"

"…WHAT?" Lilian heard Dave ask, thoroughly confused.

Lilian chuckled, drawing her daughter's attention back to her. "So, missy, what are you doing calling Mommy's phone anyways?"

"You showed me how to work the phone!"

"Yes, I did," Lilian answered. "But for emergencies only."

"What's an ember tree?"

Lilian went to reply, resisting the urge to laugh at her youngest, then noticed the traffic suddenly picking up in speed again. "Maddy, ask Daddy. I need to go, okay?" Lilian told her youngest daughter.

"Okay," Maddy agreed. "Will you be home soon?"

"Yeah, I promise," Lilian replied.

"And we'll watch Nemo?"

"Absolutely."

"'Kay. I love you."

"I love you too."

With that, she heard the phone being shuffled again, then a dial tone met her ear. Lilian sighed softly, closing her phone and letting it drop on the seat next to her.

It had been an amazing past five years since Lilian and Dave had left WWE. Lilian healed quickly from knee surgery, then gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Madeline Elizabeth. After the birth, Lilian had begun to write lyrics and worked furiously on her music, her debut album making its way to the top charts in the Latin music scene.

Now, after rave reviews and demands from fans, her second CD was in the works. Right now, she was recording tracks in New York City during the week, and commuting back to Washington D.C. during the weekends and Monday.

It was tiring… she had gone on tour after the first CD had been released, and she had loved every moment of it. To perform live for her fans was an amazing experience, one that she wouldn't trade for the world.

Well, except for her family. Dave had been amazing during this whole experience, playing Mr. Mom perfectly so Lilian could live her dream. And Sophia, now six years of age, and Madeline, four years old, were the light of Lilian's life. Sophia was a mature young lady, her wisdom much further than her actual age, too much for her own good sometimes. And Madeline was Daddy's little princess, often clinging to her father's leg.

Lilian sighed softly as she left New York City behind… at least for a few days.

Yeah, it was a hectic life.

But Lilian Batista wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

* * *

Lilian stifled a yawn as she got out of her Mustang, stretching her legs, wincing a little bit as she felt a slight twinge in her knee. Even though the surgery to repair her MCL had been successfully done years ago, the stiffness was something that was going to stick with her for the rest of her life.

She checked the mailbox, not surprised to see Dave hadn't gotten the mail yet. She flipped through the envelopes. "Bills, bills, bills…" she murmured, frowning when she came across a plain white envelope with no name, return address, or stamp.

"What's this?" Lilian asked herself, tucking the other envelopes under her arm and shifting her bag across her shoulder so she could open the envelope.

She leaned against her Mustang, her face paling slightly as she read the words, cut out from words in a magazine.

_How are the kids?_

Her hands trembled as she looked toward the house, her heart leaping as she saw Sophia and Madeline running towards her, Dave moving behind, smiles spread across their faces.

"Momma!" Maddy cried, launching herself into Lilian's arms a split second after Lilian hastily tucked the letter into her bag.

"Mom!" Sophia said happily, wrapping her arms around Lilian's legs.

"My loves," Lilian said happily, hugging both her daughters before kissing Dave gently on the cheek. "I missed you all!"

"Is it time to watch Nemo yet?" Maddy asked eagerly.

"After dinner," Lilian promised, setting her daughter down. She turned to Dave, handing the mail to her husband.

"Oh, I forgot to get it," Dave said, glancing through the letters. "Thanks, Sugar."

"You're welcome," Lilian replied, thinking to the mysterious letter in her bag.

"Anything else come?" Dave asked, his dark eyes meeting Lilian's green pools.

She hesitated, then replied, "Ah… no."

* * *

End 7.1 


	33. Our Worst Nightmare 2

Enjoy!! Thanks Katy for helping to motivate me to finish this before the year 2014.

* * *

Lilian, Sophia, and Maddy all giggled as Dory proceeded to ask Marlin for light after the Angler fish extinguished the light that had been there for Dory to read. "Light, please!" the three girls all exclaimed with Dory, sending the three into peals of laughter as Dave merely shook his head.

"Why couldn't we have watched a pirate movie?" he grumbled good naturedly.

"Daddy, shh," Sophia ordered. "Dory's getting ready to tell the address where Nemo is!"

"…And you don't know this yet?" Dave asked, more to himself.

Sophia leveled a look at him that reminded him so much of Lilian. "Yes, but that's half the fun of it," the six year old said precisely, Dave raising his eyebrows slightly at his daughter's proclamation. That girl was way too advanced for her age…

Sighing, Dave allowed his mind to wander slightly as he glanced down at his family. Lilian was curled up against him, her legs stretched out on an ottoman, her arms wrapped around his waist as she rested her head on his chest. His chin was resting on the top of her head, his left arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders. Sophia was laying across the couch, her head resting on Lilian's hip as she intently watched the movie. Maddy was next to Dave, her head resting on Dave's lap as she sucked her thumb, her eyes drooping more with each passing second.

Being careful not to disturb his youngest, he brought his legs up on the ottoman, his foot nudging Lilian's a little. She glanced up at him, smiling gently as she tilted her head up, Dave capturing her lips for a brief kiss.

"Would you two get a room?" Sophia asked with a roll of her eyes, causing Dave and Lilian to blush slightly before laughing.

"Young lady, where do you hear these things?" Lilian asked curiously.

"TV. Your CD's. School," Sophia replied in a bored tone.

Lilian glanced at Dave, shaking her head before turning her attention back to the movie.

* * *

Dave wasn't sure what time he fell asleep, but Lilian's soft snoring woke him up. He forced his eyes open, meeting the blank television screen. Yawning, he glanced at his watch, bleary eyes checking the time to see that it was two-thirty in the morning.

"Lil, wake up," Dave whispered, squeezing her shoulder slightly.

"No," his wife grumbled. "Wanna sleep."

"I know, baby," Dave agreed. "But you gotta wake up so we can put the girls to bed."

"What time is it?" Lilian asked with a yawn, a little more alert as she shifted a little, allowing Sophia's body to lay flat on the couch as she stood, stretching.

"Two-thirty," Dave answered, bending down to easily scoop Sophia in his arms, Lilian doing the same with Madeline. They carried their daughters to their respective bedrooms.

"Night, my little angel," Lilian whispered, tucking Maddy into bed, placing her favorite stuffed animal, a raggedy teddy bear named Chuck that had previously belonged to Sophia, next to her. "I love you," she told her daughter, bending down to plant a feather light kiss on her forehead.

Lilian made sure Maddy's night light was on before leaving the room, pausing her trek to hers and Dave's room to glance in at Sophia. Her oldest daughter was sprawled out on the bed, the covers kicked off already. She stepped in the room, kissing Sophia on the forehead gently.

"I love you, my Sopapilla," Lilian said softly, her mind going back to the mysterious letter she had found earlier in the afternoon for the hundredth time that night.

Sending up a quick prayer, Lilian left the room, making her way to hers and Dave's room, kicking off her slippers and snuggling up to Dave.

She wrapped her arms around Dave's waist, her chest resting against his back. She wrapped her leg around his, pulling as closely to him as possible.

"I wish we could do this every night," Dave said wistfully after a few moments, his hands covering Lilian's.

"Me, too," Lilian agreed, resting her forehead in between her shoulder blades. "It shouldn't be too much longer until I'm done with the album," she told him.

"It's hard being here alone at night while you're away," Dave admitted.

"I know," Lilian agreed. "I think that's why we end up calling each other at ridiculous hours of the morning."

"I don't mind, though," Dave told her. "To hear your voice helps a little."

"I know, Dave," she replied. "I wish things could be different, but short of packing up and moving the girls to New York City, what can we do?"

"I dunno, Sugar," Dave answered with a sigh, shifting so he was facing Lilian in the darkness, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her forehead. "I really don't know."

* * *

"Momma, wake up!" Lilian heard early the next morning, half a second before Maddy plopped down on her stomach.

"Oof," Lilian groaned, opening one eye to glance blearily at her daughter, the smell of pancakes and sausage invading her nostrils, her stomach growling beneath her daughter.

"Mom, wake up!" Sophia chimed in, shaking her mother's shoulder. "We wanna go swimming!"

"Sorry, mom's not here right now," Lilian mumbled, covering her face with the pillow and pretending to snore loudly.

"Momma!" Maddy protested, gently bouncing up and down on Lilian's stomach. "Wake up WAKE UP _WAKE UP_!"

"I told you, Momma isn't here right now," Lilian said, pushing the pillow off her face. "But you know who is?"

"Who?" Maddy asked suspiciously.

"The… TICKLE MONSTER!" Lilian cried out, flipping her daughter off her stomach and tickling the giggling four year old.

"Soapy, help me!" Maddy cried to her sister, who immediately joined in on the tickle fight.

"Hey, hey!" Lilian squealed when she felt Sophia's fingers dig into her sides. "Stop, stop!"

"Rawr!" Maddy cried when Lilian abandoned her to defend herself against Sophia, sitting on her mom's thighs and joining her sister in tickling Lilian.

"Mercy, mercy!" Lilian cried between giggles, attempting to squirm away from her daughters. "I give, stop!!"

Sophia and Maddy glanced at each other, stopping their tickling. "Who wins?" Sophia asked suspiciously.

"I do, of course!" Lilian answered, pretending to be horrified when her daughters wiggled their fingers at her, indicating they were gonna start tickling her again. "I mean, you do, my queens!"

"Yay!" Maddy said, holding her hand up to her sister for a high five. "We win!"

"Yes, you do," Lilian conceded with a laugh. "Now let me up so I can get dressed and we eat some of your daddy's special pancakes then hit the pool!"

* * *

Lilian adjusted the straps of her pink bikini, wiggling her toes as the summer sun beat down in her shoulders. She kept a careful eye on her daughters as they splashed each other in the shallow end of the pool, their inflatable shoulder floaties keeping them afloat as they hooted and hollered.

"Hey, baby," Dave said, settling on the chair in front of Lilian. "Can you put some lotion on my back?" he asked her. "I can feel it burning."

"Sure," Lilian agreed mischievously, squirting the lotion on his back, laughing when Dave jumped at the cold sensation. "Oh, I am so sorry," Lilian said in a fake apologetic voice.

"That was not nice, missy," Dave grumbled, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the soothing circles Lilian was tracing on his back and shoulders. "You're mean to me."

"I am not, you big baby," Lilian scoffed, smacking his shoulders, giggling when he jumped again.

"Ooh, you're gonna pay for that one, woman," Dave laughed, turning swiftly and pulling Lilian up from the chair and hoisting her over one of his shoulders, locking her knees so she couldn't get away.

"Dave, put me down!" Lilian yelled, smacking his back. "Don't you even think of it!" she added when she realized he was headed for the deep end of the pool.

"Do it, Daddy!" Lilian heard Sophia call.

"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side!" Lilian called back to her daughter before turning her attention back to Dave. "Dave, think of the girls," Lilian pleaded. "What kind of example are you setting for them?"

"I suppose you're right," Dave agreed with a frown, shifting his wife so he was holding her in his arms. "But you still owe me an apology for pouring that cold lotion on my back…"

"How can I ever make it up?" Lilian asked playfully.

"Kiss me?"

Lilian complied, pressing a kiss to Dave's lips. "Apology accepted?" she asked.

Dave thought for a moment, then said, "I guess so…" He turned, then suddenly pivoted, throwing Lilian into the pool before she even knew what was happening.

Lilian landed with a huge splash, Dave, Sophia, and Maddy's laughs all filling the air as she came up sputtering. "That wasn't funny!" Lilian scolded, spitting out water as she swam to the edge of the pool.

"Oh, I am so sorry," Dave mocked her from earlier, still laughing at the irritated look on his wife's face.

"Yeah, sure, I guess we're even," Lilian grumbled. "Help me out of here?"

"Okay," Dave replied, stretching his hand down to help Lilian out of the pool.

He wasn't prepared, however, for his wife to yank his hand, sending the big man off balance and tumbling into the water with a huge splash.

Lilian joined Maddy and Sophia in hysterical laughter, the little blonde swimming to the shallow end of the pool as Dave came up spitting out water.

"I win!" Lilian called to Dave, who glared at her from the deep end of the pool.

"Yeah, well, we'll see! You are so gonna pay for that," Dave warned, starting to make his way to the shallow end when a voice broke his concentration.

"I'd say you got owned, Dave," their mail lady, an older woman named Cathy called with a smirk on her face as she looked over the fence at the family. "I got a certified letter that I need you to sign for."

"You're safe for now," Dave told Lilian, hoisting himself out of the pool and grabbing a towel before heading over to where Cathy was standing.

"I'm so shaking," Lilian replied sarcastically, turning to her daughters. "SPLASH FIGHT!" she yelled suddenly, using her hands to create a huge wave of water that drenched her daughters.

Dave shook his head as he opened the date, stepping out to sign the envelope that Cathy handed him. "Now no selling that on EBay," Dave warned, accepting the mail from her.

"Yeah, sure," Cathy replied with a roll of her eyes, handing Dave the rest of their mail.

"Later, Cathy," Dave called distractedly, flipping through the mail, his gaze frowning as he came across a plain white envelope with not stamp, address, or return address.

Curiously, he opened the letter, his features hardening as he read the single line on the paper.

_Enjoy your girls while you have them; they will be mine soon._

Dave glanced in the backyard, noticing that Lilian and their daughters were engaged in a splash war that Lilian was obviously losing. Slowly, he walked in the house, placing the letter in his study and the rest of the mail on the kitchen table, before making his way outside.

"Dave, help me with this battle!" Lilian called, frowning slightly when Dave sat in a lawn chair instead of joining them in the pool again.

"I'm gonna sit out of this one," Dave replied.

Lilian glanced at her daughters, who seemed to have lost interest in the water fight as a butterfly fluttered by. She hoisted herself out of the pool, padding over to sit next to Dave.

"Anything interesting in the mail?" she asked carefully, her mind going back to the mail she had received the day before.

Dave hesitated, meeting his wife's green eyes as he clearly answered.

"Nope."

* * *

End Part 7.2 


End file.
